Ryan Justice

My brother was a loving, charismatic, hardworking man. He struggled with addiction, but that did not define him. This disease is never suffered alone. It’s destructive and shakes everything in its path. As Ryan’s sister, I watched him struggle with his addiction for years. You feel hopeless, and at times you feel angry. Throughout the years, the the worst thing was watching my brother, who I loved and was very close with growing up, drown in his addiction and not being able to convince him this isn’t the end, and that the choices that were made are the past and the future can be changed.

I want other families and those suffering from addiction to know they are not alone. When you feel like giving up, don’t because you are stronger than you realize. This has put the person with addiction and their families through hell. If you look back on all the destruction that has happened because of the addiction and you survived, you can survive recovery and regain everything. It is never easy and the fight will never be over. There are days you will feel hopeless and relapses may occur, know that it’s okay but continue to fight. Fight for you life, your family, everything that you love.