MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Pawley Bornstein sat in his pill dealer's home with his pill dealer's son. The former WMMS radio show host waited for his oxycodone pills, and the boy leaned over and whispered: "Help me. My dad beats me."

Bornstein, who's battled substance abuse addictions since he was 11 years old when he started using inhalants like gasoline to get high, never called the police or tried to help the boy.

"When that type of stuff started to happen, I realized how I was living," he said. "I was throwing my morals and my values out the window like that. That was the bottom. That's not who I am."

That incident, and his then-pregnant wife leaving him for three weeks, led the former co-host of the Maxwell Show to finally get treatment for his long-time opioid addiction. It's a decision that led him away from full-time radio and into his current position as the Alumni Coordinator for Glenbeigh, a drug treatment facility.

As part of an ongoing project, cleveland.com will chronicle his story, and the stories of other people affected by the opioid scourge in a series called "Recovering Hope."

Bornstein suffered sexual abuse as a young child; his parents divorced when he was 7 and began huffing inhalants to get high by the time he was 11.

His parents staged an intervention when he was 12. He went to a treatment facility then, and again when he was 16.

Bornstein said he stayed clean until he turned 21, when he began drinking and using opiates regularly.

"And then I was off to the races," he said. "It literally felt like it solved every problem I had."

He started hosting the Maxwell Show on WMMS in 2004. He said the environment of working at a radio program fit perfectly for an addict. He worked late at night and drug use was generally accepted in the field, he said.

He'd use heroin or painkillers in the morning, then more while he was at work. After getting off work about midnight, he'd be able to use all night and not have to be into work until 2 p.m. the next day. He'd get sick and go through withdrawals if he didn't use.

"Those are good hours for an alcoholic and a drug addict," he said.

In early 2007, he had the exchange with the drug dealer and the drug dealer's son. In June of that year, his wife, Stacey, left him for three weeks. Stacey Bornstein said it was the toughest decision she had to make. She had put up with her husband's addiction for years. When she got pregnant, she said she realized she couldn't live with his addiction and a new baby.

"It was a bad situation," Stacey Bornstein said. "I couldn't have him be there. I'd rather do it on my own. When he dropped me off at the airport, I was 50-50 if I'd ever see him again."

Her ultimatum led him to seek treatment at University Hospitals. He had partial inpatient treatment, which included four hours of treatment every day for a week, then intensive outpatient treatment for about three months.

He had a breakthrough about three weeks in, when someone in his group therapy session told him point-blank that if he listened, he could recover. He's been clean since June 19, 2007. He still undergoes occasional therapy sessions to ensure he remains on track, even 10 years later.

"I knew in that moment that I could hold on to that little nugget to help get me through it," Bornstein said. "It was a profound experience."

Bornstein kept working for WMMS until 2009, then moved to Chicago, when he took the Maxwell Show to WLUP. He was there for five years and decided he wanted to move back to Cleveland to give his daughter a more stable life.

He came across the job at Glenbeigh through contacts he made there when the drug treatment facility advertised with his show at WMMS. It had an opening for the alumni coordinator and he got the job.

Now 46, Bornstein said he's perfectly happy with his life. He and his wife bought a house in Mayfield Heights and loves his new role helping other addicts at Glenbeigh. He also hosts the Rock and Recovery radio show on 93.1-The Summit in Akron and Youngstown on Sunday nights.

"It was because of that job and the relationship I had with Glenbeigh is what led to my job now. It's kind of like, everything has to happen to bring you to here," Bornstein said. "I'm thrilled to death. I love what I do. And none of it's possible without any of that. How can you look behind you and be resentful? Things are good."

If you are in recovery for opioid addiction, and you would like to share your recovery story, email special@cleveland.com.

If you are in recovery for opioid addiction, and you would like to share your recovery story, email special@cleveland.com, or fill out the form below..

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