12 treatment centers in more than a decade would be enough for anyone to feel discouraged and lose hope. And, although that sounds like a lot, this story has more layers of tragedy and heartbreak.

We are living in a time overwhelmed with fear and regret with the opioid crisis. Pills that once seemed like a blessing are destroying lives and families, and stealing the lives of people we love. This is why these stories are the ones that need to be shared the most.

At 17, David found pain meds prescribed to his mom.  He immediately started to experiment, taking a pill here and there, then mixing different pills to get the effect he craved. Once, he decided to share his new discovery with one of his friends, and recognized that his friend didn’t love the pills the way he did. It took some time for addiction to grow, but he knew he loved the feeling from the very beginning.

Early on, David was connected to a ‘dirty doctor’ who, for a fee, would give you a prescription for anything you want. When his script would run out he would get a script in a friend’s name and fill it that way. This went on for two years.

Unfortunately, his habit was expensive and pills were becoming harder to get so he switched to heroin.

We live in a world where people make the conscious choice to switch to heroin because it is cheaper, and easier to get. It is sad, but this is the reality.

Eventually, he was hooked and the physical pain of withdrawal was too difficult to endure.

After losing a close friend to a drug overdose David entered treatment for the first time. But the pain was so great that he called someone to bring him drugs to the treatment center, and he was shooting up in the bathroom every day.

Over the course of years, he had friends murdered, die from overdose, he was in a mental institution, and estranged from his family, and had multiple attempts at treatment, AA, and NA. He was living in Texas on the streets, or in a house with no electricity or running water. A dope house.

This is a smart kid, from a successful, educated family of doctors and helping professionals.

What strikes me as most important in this story is how long the journey is, and how discouraging it can be. To have addiction beat you down to nothing, and still overcome.

There is never a moment to stop trying. After 3 treatment centers, 6, or 12 with a stint in prison. You NEVER know when it is going to be the right time that you will be in the right place, or the right information will sink in, or it will just come together and you will be clean and sober. It can happen at any time.

I always say, I just want something to happen today that will make you want to do it again tomorrow.

On January 21, 2019 David will be one year clean and sober. He has turned his life around and is using his story to help other people. He is repairing relationships with his family, being an active member of AA, and he is an inspiration to everyone who has fought this battle with multiple losses.

He is proof that recovery happens.