The Exception

I was orphaned at eight years old when my father murdered my mother and committed suicide. As a kid, I was very intelligent and an exceptional wrestler. I placed in the top 6 at nationals for six consecutive years.

At 19, I started using cocaine and struggled with it for about 12 years before switching to opiates. That's when life spiralled hard.

For another 13 years, I battled addiction. I got clean 14 months ago, and I am now raising my three pre-teen children as a single father.

I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am today, and I want to help people understand that it's possible to get back what drugs or alcohol have taken away. It's about dealing with the deeper traumas that led to addiction.

WHAT THEY BUILT AFTER

I now work a full-time job for the first time in over a decade. I have written a poetic testimony, which I will publish when finances permit. I went from being homeless with no belongings just 14 months ago to having my own apartment, where my children now live with me full-time.