It started when I was 15 years old. Things at home were difficult, and escaping to town with people who drank and used drugs felt easier than facing what I had to deal with. That choice turned into a way of life — one that lasted more than 30 years.
By 2018, I hit one of the lowest points of my life. I left the home I’d lived in for ten years, my marriage, and my daughter behind. I spent that year in and out of psych wards and multiple rehabs because, truthfully, I didn’t want to live anymore.
The Spiral of Addiction
In 2020, I tried again and moved into a halfway house. For a while, I was doing well. But when the stimulus checks came out, my ex-wife had mine. During my first visit with my daughter in a year, I learned the money had been spent on meth. I took part of it back to the halfway house — and I used.
The relapse cost me my spot, and soon I was drifting again. I stayed briefly with my mom, then moved in with a girlfriend. But I wasn’t living right, and when she discovered the truth, we broke up. My drug use escalated until I overdosed and slipped into a nine-day coma that nearly killed me.
Surviving the Coma
Waking up was only the beginning. I had a ventilator down my throat and had to relearn the basics: swallowing ice, drinking water, eating food. I had to learn to walk again with a walker, regain stamina, and rebuild daily routines most people take for granted.
After a month and a half in the hospital, I returned to my mom’s. She told me: “I love you, son. I’ll do anything for you — but you have to go to rehab.” She gave me the number for Avenues Recovery Center.
Finding Hope at Crown Recovery
That call led me to Crown Recovery, the largest rehab facility in the United States at the time, with 680 clients. I was shocked when I arrived — but I stayed.
I worked through every phase, absorbed what I could, and eventually interned at the facility. When I left, I moved into a halfway house in Louisville and pursued my certification as a peer support specialist.
A New Purpose
Today, I hold that certification. I work at Avenues Recovery Center as a group facilitator, leading sessions and helping others learn how to do this recovery thing.
I keep old pictures of myself close by. They’re hard to look at, but they remind me of what I’ve been through and what I never want to return to.
This is my experience, strength, and hope — proof that even after decades of addiction and a near-death experience, recovery is possible.
