I got on a plane and went to detox, I already had some knowledge from treatment before, but I needed separation from the drugs and the people around them. I really needed some rest and eventually I made my way back to Grandview. Coming back here was a turning point for me. I knew if I was going to be a father and build a family, everything about my life had to change.

One of the hardest things in early recovery was learning how to cut people off. A lot of the people I used to spend time with were tied to my addiction—old friends, family members, people I had history with. At first, that was really hard. Part of me was scared to close those doors because addiction always leaves that “what if” in the back of your mind.

But over time that got easier. Now it’s simple. I can look at someone and realize we’re not even on the same path anymore. Recovery changes your direction in life, and sometimes that means leaving certain relationships behind.

Another big shift for me was learning to think about other people again. When you’re in addiction, everything revolves around you and what you want in the moment. I started realizing I could actually step outside of that and think about how my choices affected my family and the people around me. That was something I had never really done before.

Grandview played a big role in helping me challenge the way I thought about myself and the world. Ms. Shelly especially helped me question a lot of the beliefs I had carried for years—things about respect and what it means to me, about who I thought I was, and what I believed I was capable of.

Once I started questioning those things, it opened the door to a different way of thinking. I realized that a lot of the information I had been living by just wasn’t true. That shift helped me start believing that maybe I could actually build a life for myself.

School had always been hard for me because I’m dyslexic. For a long time, I thought that meant I didn’t have many options in life. In my mind it was either school or the streets. I didn’t know there were other paths.

Eventually I discovered the trades, and that changed everything.

Today I work as a sales technician for a plumbing company, and I worked my way up from service and repair plumbing to being one of the lead technicians in my company. Recovery taught me how to show up every day, how to be accountable, and how to follow through on commitments. Those habits made a huge difference at work.

Before, I couldn’t even keep track of my phone or my ID. Now I’m someone my company relies on.

My definition of success has also changed a lot. In my old life, success might have meant having ten dollars in my pocket or finding somewhere to crash for the night. Now I’m thinking about my future and my kids’ future.

My son is three years old now, and that’s something I’m really proud of. My dad left when I was about two and a half, so the fact that I’m still there for my kids matters a lot to me. Every year that goes by without chaos, without drugs, without trauma around them—that’s something I’m grateful for.

Those are the things that motivate me today.

Even though I work long hours, I still stay connected to my recovery. I attend Zoom meetings when I can, especially during my commute, and I stay in touch with my sponsor regularly. I’ve also worked closely with my doctor as part of my recovery plan, and the medication they have prescribed me has helped me stay stable and focused.

Recovery looks different for everyone, but for me it’s about staying honest, staying consistent, and continuing to grow.

If I could tell someone who is just starting their journey at Grandview one thing, it would be this: don’t give up.

I was homeless on Skid Row for years. If you had walked past me back then, you probably wouldn’t have thought my life could look the way it does today. Now I’m 37 years old, I have a career, I have a family, and I’m building a future.

You can lose for years—sometimes decades—and still win if you keep going.

I tried a lot of different paths before I found the one that worked for me. But eventually things started to come together: the right career, the right people, the right opportunities.

Looking back now, I realize my plans were never very good.

But God had a much bigger plan for my life than I ever could have imagined.