Addiction Talk

Former BMX champion Tony Hoffman connects with American Addiction Centers to share the story of his journey from opioid addiction, homelessness, and prison, to getting sober, coaching the Olympic BMX team, and traveling the country to spread his message of recovery from the disease of addiction.

Mason always told himself that he would never be a heroin addict. When he turned 18 he was kicked out of his house for cutting his hair because his parents didn’t approve of him being transgender. Moving in with his girlfriend, the two started doing Xanax together. About two weeks in, Mason was in a Xanax blackout and woke up smoking heroin.

Forced into treatment, Mason’s only motivation to go was knowing that if he didn’t his car and other possessions would be taken from him.  Mason knew that he was going to relapse after getting out of rehab because his mindset wasn’t focused on going through treatment for himself but rather for his car, his parents and his girlfriend. Mason wanted to get high. He wanted to have fun.

Getting heavily involved with meth pushed Mason over the edge. It made him a terrible person.  He was concerned more about dope than his own livelihood. It was that realization that made him want to get sober.

Today Mason writes and journals to help stay clean.  He’s gained friends who are better than what he had before. Most importantly he’s gained his family back. He’s achieved a level of peace that wasn’t present before.

During active addiction, Jordan did things that he wasn’t proud of in order to survive. He lost pieces of himself along the way, until he eventually got fed up. He was tired of the way that nothing in his life seemed worthwhile and wanted to feel the way he did back when he attended his first AA meeting. Going into treatment, Jordan felt powerless but soon became enthralled in meetings, making connections, and sharing secrets.

Today Jordan is confident, and the future looks promising to him. He is okay with being alone and not needing a partner – something he never could have imagined in the past. He describes how he is able to watch all his dreams come true, and has a taste of freedom for the first time in his life.

When Jordan looks back on life before addiction, he realizes there was not one huge event that led him into addiction. He was just a kid longing for a stable household while living out of bags and blankets. He had too much freedom and did whatever his friends did in order to feel accepted. On a daily basis, Jordan could be found carrying out his so called ‘rituals’ – rolling up weed, cutting up cocaine, and mixing whiskey. It was completely normal to him. However, this behavior turned destructive when he began robbing houses, getting into car wrecks, and making decisions that hurt his family.

In the midst of it all, Jordan knew he had a problem. He describes the first meeting he went to, breaking down in tears while telling strangers how often he drank. Despite this breakthrough he continued down that path for years, describing himself like a pinball – so asleep and unconscious to what he was doing.