Before I ever picked up a drink or a drug, I was just a kid in a lot of emotional pain. We grew up dirt poor in a home filled with physical and emotional abuse. My parents went through a messy divorce. My dad ended up incarcerated, and my mom started drinking and having manic episodes. She would leave us alone for days with no food. Eventually, we were placed into foster care — and they split me from my twin brother and younger brother. That broke me. In my freshman and sophomore years I was bullied relentlessly. I tried to take my own life — more than once.
I bounced between four different high schools as I moved through different homes. I was hurting badly, but I hid it from the world. I pretended everything was fine. I didn’t want anyone to know the truth — not even myself. I was running from the pain inside me. Then I found alcohol and drugs. That made it easier than ever to run. And run I did — for eleven years.In 2024, things got even worse. I was introduced to crack. I was having overdose seizures regularly. Alcohol withdrawal seizures had been happening on and off for two years. I’d wind up in the hospital with no idea how I got there. I’d stay clean for a week or two, then relapse. The EMTs and nurses knew me by name. It was humiliating. I felt intense shame. I felt hopeless. I felt worthless. Part of me didn’t care if I lived or died. I thought I deserved the pain.
Then, everything changed. On February 4th, 2025, I had what I call my “Eureka moment.” I was using at a friend’s house, listening to him talk about his life — and it felt like I was looking into a mirror. Into my future. I saw where I was headed. I told my dad, “That’s going to be me if I don’t stop. I’m going to die.”
Something just clicked. I broke down in tears. I didn’t want to live like that anymore. I didn’t want to hate myself. I didn’t want to be a slave to something that was killing me. I wanted to live — not just survive.
The next day, I got sober. February 5th, 2025 — the day my life began to change.
I knew I needed more help than a detox program could give me. So while I was at Rodgers Behavioral Health, I found a residential rehab. That was Woods Crossings through WisHope. That safe space gave me what I needed to start healing. My therapist there, Taylor, changed my life. Forgiveness and acceptance have always felt like a foreign language to me. But the way Taylor explored resentment and walked me through those emotions helped me finally understand what healing could look like for me. That was a turning point.
Now, I’m working with my amazing therapist Evalyn at Iris, and I’m proud to say I’ve been sober for 135 days. Some days feel like baby steps, others like I’m strapped to a rocket. It hasn’t been easy — this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But the growth makes it all worth it.
I look in the mirror now and see someone I respect. Someone who deserves self-love. Someone who is learning who they truly are.
I’ve begun rebuilding the relationships I have destroyed. I set boundaries. I hold my head high. I’m building a life I never thought I’d have.
My name is Caleb, and I’m a proud recovering addict and alcoholic.
