BEFORE SOBRIETY
THIS IS WHERE ADDICTION TOOK ME.
By the time I reached my rock bottom, I had set everything I loved on fire. My marriage was destroyed. My family broken. Alcohol had distorted my thinking so completely that I believed my children would be better off without me.
At my lowest, I knelt in front of them and told them exactly that. After wiping their tears, I grabbed a bottle of vodka and a shotgun and walked out the door. They believed it was the last time they would ever see their father.
THE SURRENDER
THAT WAS THE END OF THE MAN I HAD BECOME.
NOT THE END OF MY LIFE.
I surrendered and began the lifelong process of becoming the man I was meant to be and the father my children needed me to be.
Recovery required far more than putting down alcohol. I had to confront the damage I had caused, rebuild my identity, learn to accept help, keep commitments, restore trust, and practice responsibility one day at a time.
I learned that addiction does not happen overnight, and neither does recovery. People need time, honest education, meaningful support, and access to the right resources before addiction takes everyting from them.
That experience became the foundation of my life's work.
THE PURPOSE
MY SECOND CHANCE BECAME A RESPONSIBILITY.
Today, I am a father, interventionist, public speaker, author, three-time Ironman athlete, and a man in long-term recovery.
My mission is to educate families, reach people before they experience the kind of rock bottom I did, and help people continue the recovery care their clinical teams believe they need.
The Forge Recovery Foundation is how I put that mission into action. Forge helps bridge the financial gap between the care a clinical team recommends and the care insurance or personal resources will cover.
I was given a second chance at life. I believe it is my duty to pass it on.