Stronger Than My Demons

Today is Overdose Awareness Day. 💜

This day hits different for me because I know how close I came to being someone people were remembering instead of someone who gets to be here today.

I was an IV drug user. I was deep in my addiction, and there were times I honestly didn’t care if I lived or died.

I think about all the people who didn’t get another chance. The moms, dads, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends. People who were loved and had people waiting for them to come home.

Addiction can take so much from a person, but an overdose can take everything.

So today, remember the people we’ve lost. Check on the people you love. Carry Narcan. Know how to use it. And if someone is struggling, please don’t let judgment stop you from helping them.

I’m incredibly grateful I got another chance at life.

I’m here. I’m present. And I don’t take that for granted.

For the people we’ve lost, we remember you. 💜

If someone is struggling today, what’s one piece of encouragement you’d give them?

What’s one memory you’re hoping to create this weekend that your future self will be proud of?

Just a little thank you. 🙏 tag a dad that needs to know they’re appreciated.

To all the dads and step dads!!! I know Father’s Day has already passed, but lately I just can’t help feeling extra grateful for this man.

When I left my daughter’s biological father, one of my biggest fears was what it would look like for another man to help raise her. I prayed that if someone ever came into our lives, he’d love her like his own.

God answered that prayer.

He gets up every morning at 4 a.m. and works his guts out in the heat, the cold, the rain, and the wind to provide for our family. But what means the most isn’t just what he does it’s who he is. He chose to step into a role he never had to take, and he loves my daughter as if she has always been his.

Now, as we get ready to welcome another little girl into the world, I couldn’t ask for a better example of what a good man looks like. My daughters get to grow up watching a man who leads with love, integrity, sacrifice, and consistency. I learn from him every single day.

I also want to give a special shout-out to all the dads and stepdads who show up every day for their kids and stepkids.

And to the men rebuilding their lives after addiction I see you too.

Choosing recovery is one thing. Choosing to become the father your children deserve every single day is another. It takes courage to break generational cycles, to stay when life gets hard, to keep showing up even when no one is clapping for you.

Your past doesn’t define the kind of father you can become.

To every man working hard, staying sober, providing for his family, and loving his children the best he knows how… thank you. The world needs more men like you, and your kids will remember your consistency far more than your perfection.