I haven’t been clean in over 15 years. Everyone knows me as the joker or the comedian, but knowing what I know now is sometimes the funniest people have been cut the deepest. If you have met me within the last 15 years, you can bet your ass I was high. I’ve silently battled with this on my own for way too long and it’s time for me to heal for me. Being broken is a choice, and that’s one that I’m not choosing to be. I’m wanting to check myself into a facility in efforts to get clean and stay that way for once in my life.

But this is the issue. I currently am struggling to cover my lot rent for the month of May as well as my light bill through Entergy, which will be due soon as well. I’m looking to see if anybody would be willing to donate a few dollars—just whatever you can—to support my recovery while I’m away. If I wasn’t sure that I could go seek the help I need and return without being evicted, or with no power for my dogs while I’m gone, I wouldn’t be able to truly focus on me and my journey cause I’d be stressed out. Anything extra that may be left after those two things are paid will be applied to the following months’ bills to prevent me from being behind before I even get to come out and enjoy my sobriety. I know it’s a huge ask, but I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t truly need it.

If anybody knows anything about me, it’s that I’m gonna tell you the truth about me, before anybody else can ever say anything about me. I’m always the one to make you laugh, cracking a joke, or trying to make someone else’s day better than before. All I’m asking for is a little bit of support while I step back and allow myself to heal from 15 years of suppressed trauma, neglect, and hardships that I’ve managed to keep hidden. I’m always hearing people say that they wish they’d have known somebody was needing help or they would’ve helped. Well here I am, admitting to the world my name is Justin, I’m 29 years old, and I am an addict. I would like the opportunity to heal from that title—all I’m asking is for the opportunity to be able to do so.