Breaking Free over drugs and alcohol

I know it’s not easy to talk about something so personal and so heavy, but trust me when I say that I've been there. I’m here to share from the heart, not as an expert, but as someone who’s lived through it all—someone who’s walked the path of addiction to drugs and alcohol, and someone who’s found a way to walk out of it. I spent years feeling like I was trapped in a cycle, stuck in a place I couldn't get out of. Every day felt like I was drowning, unable to escape my own mind or the pull of substances. Some days, it was like I was just going through the motions, barely alive. I didn’t see a way out, but somehow, I found it. And that's why I’m standing here today. This isn’t just about getting clean—this is about truly living again. Not just existing. And that’s what I want to share with you all today—how life without substances can be the most positive change you’ll ever experience. The Struggle – I Know It Well: Before we get into the good stuff, I want to talk a little bit about where we’ve been. I know the feelings. The highs that were never high enough. The crashes that left me feeling emptier than before. The lies we tell ourselves: "Just one more," or "I’ll stop tomorrow." And I don’t even need to tell you about the physical toll it takes, the guilt, the shame, the isolation that comes with addiction. We’ve all been there in our own way, right? Trying to manage the chaos, trying to hold it together while the world around us falls apart. You might have felt like I did—like you were never going to make it out. Like it was too late. But I want to let you know this: it’s never too late. It wasn’t too late for me, and it isn’t too late for you. The Turning Point: I want to tell you about the moment I realized I had to change. It wasn’t some grand epiphany. It wasn’t a shiny “aha” moment. It was more like this quiet voice inside me that had been buried under years of substance use, finally whispering, "You deserve better than this." One day, I woke up and didn’t want to keep going the way I had been. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t have all the answers. But I decided to take the first step, even if I didn’t know where it would lead. For me, getting clean wasn’t just about quitting. It was about finding something more. I didn’t know at the time what that “more” was, but I knew that I couldn’t keep using drugs or alcohol to fill that void. That’s what it is, right? We’re using to fill something inside of us that feels empty, like there’s a hole that we can never quite fill. But I’m here to tell you that you can fill that hole with something real. Something lasting. The Road to Recovery – What It Can Be: Now, I’m not gonna lie to you—getting to a better place was hard work. There were days when it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I wanted to give up. But over time, I started to realize that the road to recovery wasn’t just about leaving behind substances. It was about building a new life. It was about rediscovering who I was without the crutch of alcohol or drugs. And that’s where the magic started to happen. I began to see the beauty of a sober life. I started to feel alive again. And not just alive in a basic sense—but truly alive. I began to feel the joy in the small moments that I had once missed: a cup of coffee in the morning, a real conversation with a friend, laughter that didn’t come with a hangover. It’s not always perfect, but it’s real. And let me tell you something that I wish I knew when I was in the depths of addiction: there is SO much more to life than the temporary highs. The connections, the clarity, the peace—these are the things we get back when we remove substances from the equation. The New You: So, what does life look like when we get past the addiction? Well, for me, it’s a life full of possibilities. I don’t know what your “new you” will look like, but I promise that it will be different. In a good way. When you get out of the grip of drugs and alcohol, you start to find yourself again. You start making real decisions based on who you truly are—not who you are when you're under the influence. You get to take back control of your life. It’s like being handed the keys to your own future. And the best part? You don’t have to do it alone. There are people here, people in your life who want to see you succeed. You’re part of a community now—a community that gets it. And that’s something that’ll carry you forward when times get tough. A New Perspective: I want to throw a few questions out to you all now. I want you to think about them for a minute. These questions are meant to help us all reflect on why life without substances can be such a positive change: What are some of the things you truly enjoy doing—things you’ve forgotten about or stopped doing because of addiction? How do you think your relationships could improve if you weren’t using substances? What does it feel like to think about waking up each day with clarity and without the burden of needing a drink or a hit to get through it? When you imagine your life free from substances, what kind of person do you see yourself becoming? What’s one small thing you could do today to start living a life that’s not defined by your addiction? Conclusion: Before I wrap up, I just want to say this: recovery is not a straight line. It’s messy, it’s unpredictable, and there will be bumps along the way. But it’s worth it. You’re worth it. Every single one of you in this room has the potential to create a life that’s better than anything you’ve known. And I’m here to tell you that it’s possible. There’s hope for you, just like there was hope for me. Keep pushing. Keep believing in yourself. Keep taking those small steps, and you’ll get there. One day at a time.