The backstory is simple, though may seem complicated to those unfamiliar with addiction. I grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and went through some trauma around the age of 14. By the time I was 16, I had already developed depression, a substance use disorder, and was entertaining suicidal thoughts. At 18 years old and as a senior in high school, I knew that was the year I would die. That’s the first of many miracles that recovery has given to me: a second chance at life.

I can’t recall many other groups of people who are given the opportunity to live two lives in one lifetime. When I began my recovery later in my senior year, that premise was one of the only common characteristics I could identify between others in recovery and myself. For some reason that I cannot adequately describe, I’ve been able to stay clean since those dark times and now have the opportunity to live a life that has far surpassed my dreams.

April 10th, 2011 is a date that will be permanently etched into my own personal history book. Not having to use drugs or alcohol in nearly 4 ½ years has enabled me to experience some incredible opportunities. Those opportunities have brought me around the world, but the best experiences have been the ones that bring me closer to home. As important as April 10th is for my family and I, the date that will soon become etched in the national history books will be October 4th, 2015 as we

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Read more here:: The Time Is Now: Young and in Recovery