Humans of Addiction

09/10/2026

These two pictures are the same person.

The woman in the first picture was at one of the lowest points of her life. I had lost my kids. I had lost hope. I had reached a point where I truly felt like I had no reason to live.

My addiction took me through almost three years in prison, multiple county jails, two overdoses, and eventually, I was bouncing from place to place just trying to survive. The people who had held onto hope for me for so long had finally reached their limit. I had burned bridges, hurt people I loved, and honestly didn’t know how to find my way back.

Fear of going back to prison helped get me through the doors of treatment, but somewhere along the way, something changed. I started wanting a different life for myself.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned in recovery is that the same fearless energy I once used chasing dope could be used to completely change my life. If I was willing to go to any length for my addiction, I could learn to go to any length for my recovery.

Today, I’m a mom. A role model. A leader. Someone who gets to use her experiences to help other people. And most importantly, I can genuinely say that I love the woman I am today.

Getting sober gave me a second chance, not to go back and become the person I was before addiction, but to create someone new.

Your past doesn’t have to be your identity. Let it go, learn from it, and give yourself the chance to become the best version of you.

There is a human behind every addiction. And as long as they’re still here, their story isn’t over. 💜

09/10/2026

This might sound simple to some people, but to someone like me who struggled with addiction for over 20 years, it means everything.

I got into a little fender bender this weekend that cracked my windshield and put a small dent in my car. Today, I was able to get my windshield replaced without stressing over what it cost.

There was a time when something like this would have felt like the end of the world financially. Today, because of recovery, hard work, and God’s grace, I was able to take care of it.

Recovery has given me more than sobriety. It has given me stability and a life where small setbacks don’t have to become major problems. I’m extremely grateful today. 🙏

09/10/2026

09/01/2026

These two pictures tell two completely different stories.

The person in the first picture was struggling with addiction and didn’t know if life would ever get better. The person in the second picture is proof that recovery is possible.

That’s why overdose awareness means so much to me. Carry Narcan. You’re not enabling addiction, you’re keeping someone alive long enough to have their own before-and-after story.

Narcan saves lives. Recovery changes them. 💜

I’m Kyle. If you’re struggling, please contact me. If you or someone you love needs help, I can help anywhere in Ohio.

08/31/2026

One phone call can have a powerful impact on someone’s life.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, please do not wait until things get worse. Help is available, recovery is possible, and the first step may be easier than you think.

Forward Health helps adults from all across Ohio access addiction treatment, supportive housing and same-day assessments.

Your share could reach the person who needs to see this today. 💙

Give me a call. I can help.

📲 Kyle Darby: (614) 629-8796
☎️ 24/7 Admissions: (614) 324-4088
🌐 forwardhealthohio.com

02/27/2026

I’m a good person who was scared to be that good person… so for a while, I became someone I wasn’t meant to be.
— Case Kegley, Men’s PHP Housing Supervisor, Forward Health

I grew up with everything I ever needed. Great parents. A family that did everything they could to lead me down the right path. School came easy. Sports came easy. I was even blessed enough to play baseball at the next level in college.

But one of my favorite activities was drinking.

I started drinking and using drugs at 13 or 14 years old. For a long time, I was able to mask the damage it was doing. But once I was on my own, everything caught up with me. After two years of college, I failed out because of my drinking and drug use. Just like that, I lost what I loved most… baseball.

I lost my identity and went searching for a new one in all the wrong places. Using. Selling. Drinking. Slowly sinking into the dark depths of addiction and alcoholism.

And here’s the part that still blows my mind…

Even in the middle of all that, I became highly successful installing mainline gas and oil pipelines across the United States. Six-figure income. Brand-new vehicles. Camper. Boat. I thought I had it all.

But I had an addiction and alcohol problem.

And eventually… I lost it all.

My addiction sent me to jail repeatedly in nearly every city I visited. I lost control of my life. I lost my job. I lost the toys. I lost my physical health. I lost everything.

Until I found Forward Health.

I needed help and didn’t know where to turn. By the grace of God, I landed at Forward Health. I listened. I sat my butt still. I added great people to my life and removed the ones who weren’t helping me grow. Most importantly, I gave myself time to let the miracle happen.

And a miracle is exactly what I earned.

It wasn’t given. It was earned. And only by the grace of God and the people at Forward Health was I able to receive it.

Today, I’m no longer afraid to be the real me. I finally understand how to keep becoming the good person I was always meant to be.

Sobriety is better than any high I ever chased.

And it can happen for you too.

Forward Health
We ain’t hard to find.

02/23/2026

This is my childhood friend, Kyle Darby.

If you only saw the before photo, you might think you know the story. Twenty years of substance use disorder. Jails. Broken trust. A family that loved him but didn’t know how to save him. Relationships that couldn’t survive the chaos. The kind of pain that ripples far beyond one person.

I grew up with Kyle. I watched the slow drift that addiction can cause. Not because someone is weak. Not because they don’t care. But because substance use disorder is powerful, isolating, and relentless when it goes untreated.

When Kyle came to Forward Health as a patient, he wasn’t coming for a quick fix. He was exhausted. He was ready. He was willing to do the work.

Recovery did not erase his past. It gave him a future.

Today, Kyle is multiple years sober. He is a present, engaged father to his two boys. The kind of dad who shows up. The kind of dad who listens. The kind of dad who breaks generational cycles instead of repeating them.

And now he works here. As an outreach coordinator at Forward Health, he walks into rooms every day filled with people who feel the way he once felt. He looks them in the eye and says, without judgment and without pretending, “I know.”

That matters.

His story is not about perfection. It is about persistence. It is about dignity. It is about what can happen when someone is given structure, accountability, community, and belief.

Addiction took twenty years from Kyle.

Recovery gave him the rest of his life.

And now he spends that life helping others find theirs.

02/21/2026

At Forward Health, we believe in humanizing the admissions process from the very first call.

Our Admissions team understands how hard it is to ask for help because we’ve been there. We know the fear, the shame, and the courage it takes to pick up the phone.

That’s why when you call us, you’re met with compassion, honesty, and real understanding.

We meet you where you are and walk beside you every step of the way.

You are not alone. 💜
And we are not hard to find. If you or someone you know is struggling reach out.

614-324-4088