Joshua Bennett-Johnson

For 17 years, I struggled with substance and alcohol use disorders, in addition to depression, anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. The desperation of that lifestyle motivated me to try my luck at being an outlaw. I wasn’t very good at that. Everything came to a screeching halt when I was convicted of felony, unarmed bank robbery in 2009. I’ve been a non-user ever since, and I see my work as a penance for my past misdeeds, as well as an opportunity to help others avoid hitting that proverbial “rock bottom,” like I did, in order to live a healthier and more manageable life.

I’m now a productive member of society: a husband, a father, a taxpayer, a helper. No longer the victim of an “unfair world,” I approach each day knowing I’m one of the lucky ones who survived my addiction, while so many others didn’t. I foster and nurture a grateful heart, dedicate my life to service, and live a life I never thought possible.

Treatment works, and it’s difficult work. It involves vigilance, dedication, commitment, and, most of all—support. If I could have gotten better on my own, I would have, long ago. I credit and dedicate my well-being to the many helpers I’ve had along the way, and I’m proud to follow in their footsteps. If recovery were easy, everyone would be doing it. It’s not. But the right things in this life are often the most difficult. And the work pays off—in dividends.

Today, I live a life of purpose, meaning, and the knowledge that I can face any obstacle that comes my way. What a gift! No longer does “life suck.” It’s difficult, sure. Stressful, yeah. Challenging, you bet. But I get to show up for it. I’m living life today. Life isn’t living me. Maybe that’s what freedom is? At any rate—call it what you will: it’s the most difficult thing I’ve done, and the best thing I’ve done.