So my story you might find like yours and I truly hope someone can take something from it.

I grew up in a small town in Northern Utah after being adopted and my family was great. Now, think of anything a little boy could ever ask for while growing up on a farm. Horses, cows, dogs, cats, four-wheelers, big trucks and tractors he will says is his, and more importantly, GUNS! This little boy was me and I had it all! But as I was a little boy there was things I was scared of: the dark, monsters under my bed and creeping up on me through my closet. I had to have a nightlight to keep the scary things away. But as I grew up those things that used to scare me didn’t scare me anymore because I started to face these fears. I took things head on and did a lot of amazing things.

I started to rodeo and was wrestling people who knew me, was calling me careless. In my words I was fearless and nobody can take this away from me. Man, I thought I was on top of the world and I was only 13 years old at the time. You know how when you’re doing rodeo and they advertise tobacco? Well since I had tried it a couple times in the past, I thought it was for me. If you rodeo, you use, it was simple for me to understand.
Since I had started this, I had been hiding it from my mom and dad. Now of course they had a idea because they could smell it, but I would like if they asked saying “nope, not me!”

So a couple of years had gone by of me smoking tobacco and weed. I would spend my allowance every week on these things. I’m 15 now and just figured out I was adopted and my family was lying to me for years. Well not lying, they just never told me. This made me upset and resentful so I started to look for what you could say love and acceptance in different ways… GANGS.

I started using harder drugs like meth and heroin and my life changed up dramatically. After about a month of smoking these drugs I was introduced to what people know the needle of as a hypodermic syringe and I couldn’t get enough.

Then I turned 18 and ended up in prison and did my first 3 year stretch. Once I got out I met a wonderful woman. We have 2 kids together now. I’m still trying to figure my life out because I am back in prison for the 6th time now.

I can say there is a couple people who are helping me this time though. I finally know I can’t do it alone. I have a sponsor who is helping me through the Steps and it’s helped me get my family back as well. I hope this might help someone know they aren’t alone and there is help we can get.

Thanks for being here for my story. It’s helped me out as well.
– David L