Darren C

In 2013, I lost my older brother to a fatal overdose from fentanyl-laced MDMA. That sent me into an 8-year spiral which lead me to a problematic relationship with alcohol. I was in a dark place in November 2018, after a lonely night out with friends, I left the bar drunk and decided to hang myself on the Uber home. Thankfully, my Higher Power was at work and gave me a clear willingness to live as I was hanging. That is around when I first tried to get sober but the issue was that I didn't think alcohol was actually the problem. This led to 4-years of "Controlled Drinking" which did not work in any shape or form. Fast forward to July 5th, 2021, I was out at a bar on a Monday night when I had planned to hurt someone which would result in me ending up in jail.

The following day, my therapist told me abstinence was the only option and I decided to give up the high cost of low living.

I had no desire to live. My Plan B for my life was to simply kill myself if I had any permanent problems with the law. My life was in darkness and I lost all hope.

My therapist who convinced me to try sobriety in 2018 gave me an ultimatum - be abstinent from alcohol or she'd stop treating me.

Absolutely amazing. There is no part of my life now (10-months sober) that I could've imagined when I was actively drinking. I am happy, I want to live, I have fun, I'm in a loving relationship, and so many other great things have happened. I can promise that life gets better, sometimes slowly sometimes quickly, it will always materialize if we work for it. Work, Work, Work.

I've combined my professional experience with my personal life and started a social impact enterprise, 12 Step Road. We are making recovery accessible to everyone.