In my youth, despite my family’s love and efforts to help me, in 1995, at the age of 17, after quite a few run-ins with law enforcement, my drug and alcohol abuse led me to addiction to marijuana, hallucinogens, and heroin. In my senior year of high school, my addiction and criminal thinking resulted in my being incarcerated. The choices I’d made led to destructively impacting the lives of others and consuming two decades of what could have been a very different life for me. As a young adult, struggling with anxiety, depression, and the circumstances of my incarceration, despite considering myself a lost cause, I accepted responsibility for my actions and began the first steps on my recovery journey. Going to prison, it turned out, saved my life.

Newly sober, I quickly found that the challenges I faced in high school didn’t exist any longer. Soon, I graduated as salutatorian of my graduating class, only three-tenths of a point away from being valedictorian, and then went on to teach others in the literacy program and tutor in the education department. As a mentor, through the Greenville County Sheriff’s Department, I volunteered with at-risk youth participating in a pre-trial, court-ordered program to hopefully show them the light at the end of the tunnel toward a brighter future, and co-facilitated recovery and reentry programs, helping others prepare for their return to society. While incarcerated, I also earned an Associate’s degree in Christian Studies through Columbia International University (CIU). When I was released, I was humbled to be represented before the Parole Board by a former Director over the entire South Carolina Department of Corrections.

Since my release, I have faced many challenges and have often felt my sobriety being threatened. But being free meant I could also choose better than I had in my active addiction and criminal thinking. Part of what I chose was to further my education. So, six months after my release, I enrolled at North Greenville University and later graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Christian Ministry, minoring in Psychology. After this, I took a year off, as I prepared for my wedding with the love of my life, Ashley, whom I have known since the sixth grade (we have two children together, my stepsons, now 18 and 24). I returned to my prison alma mater (CIU) in person on-campus and later earned a Master’s degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling.

Today, I am a Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist (CPRSS) through the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) and the South Carolina Self-Help Association Regarding Emotion (S.C. S.H.A.R.E). I am also an Integrated Forensic Peer Recovery Specialist Trainer of Trainers (i-FPRS ToT), facilitating courses to help those who will be working with people in the Department of Mental Health and with justice-involved individuals in the criminal justice system. In addition, I hold a seat on the South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s (SCDMH) State Bylaw and Planning Board Councils. Many years after my wayward youth and release from prison, as a free man, my recovery journey is still ongoing. But, alongside the amazing Team at You Are Accountable, I am able to live out my passion with the second chance I’ve been given and share the hope I have with others as an Accountable Recovery Specialist (ARS).

There is so much more about my life and recovery I could speak of. But it is important I emphasize that my family, all the degrees, certifications, training, leadership roles, and opportunities that have been achieved would not have materialized without my conscious decision to take responsibility for actions, follow the lead of my Higher Power, hold tight to the reins of my sobriety, and accept the help offered to me when I needed it most. Along the journey, the people who supported and believed in me, even before I did, played a crucial role in my transformation. Compassionately and unconditionally, they instilled hope, accountability, and introduced me to new ways of thinking, helping me learn how to manage my emotions and master the disciplines I once resisted. Whether they realized it or not, they were breathing life back into me, planting seeds of hope, providing true accountability, and introducing me to new ways of thinking. They helped me manage my emotions and master the disciplines I had resisted, but so desperately needed as I transitioned from childhood to young adulthood. They showed me that a locked door isn't closed forever; that change and second chances can indeed happen. I am humbled and grateful for the life, character, and resiliency they've helped me build, and each day I strive to be a light in the darkness for others as I walk with them throughout their own journey.

Individually we can make a difference, but collectively, we can change the world. We are all in this together, one step at a time, and I am committed to doing my part.