Michigan Connects

Derek has 1 year sober!!

The medical examiner of Mid-Michigan released its final 2025 drug report.
-It recorded 82 drug related deaths in Ingham County. A lot of poly substance use deaths, with the majority coming from stimulant and fentanyl use.
-There were 14 drug related deaths in Eaton County, and 8 drug related deaths in Clinton County. Below are a couple pictures of the report of Ingham County. The age range is very heartbreaking.

Wherever there’s a lot of addiction, there’s also a lot of recovery. It’s just a matter of what crowd you wanna run with. You can’t have one foot in and one foot out, though. Right now, there is something special going on in the Lansing recovery community. There is so much energy and so many people not only with great ideas, but great ex*****on. This is not a competition, either. When everyone works together, you start to see more people choose recovery.

Ingham DHS can provide $5,000 for a car to people who are without a vehicle, meet eligibility, aren’t on a bus line, and haven’t used this service before.

Jacob Akers (AKA Boogie), a friend and co-worker, has accomplished a lot lately. He celebrated 2 years of recovery in February and recently started a non-profit called Brick by Brick Recovery, along with 3 other friends. But none of that compares to what he accomplished last week: he gained full custody of his daughter. Seeing him with his daughter last week was a beautiful thing, especially for me since she is the same age as my daughter. Not many things in life are as special as seeing a father in recovery not only get in his daughter’s life, but to become a full time dad. It is another example of what recovery can do. This probably seemed impossible to him a few years ago but here we are 🙏

I have 6 years sober today! Lately, I’ve been thinking about what I would tell myself if I could go back in time and talk to that boy on the left, the nights I spent alone in my cell at Wolverine Secure Treatment Center. The nights when I thought of ways I could end my suffering and how God could turn his eyes away. I had so much anger in my heart. What would I tell my younger self to convince him that things were gonna be okay someday? That things weren’t gonna get better for a while, but that someday all the pain would be used for good?

The greatest blessing I’ve received in recovery is being able to be a father full time. Unless you knew me 6+ years ago, I don’t think you can comprehend how big of a miracle that is. Don’t ever give up trying, for you or your kids!

My Dad had a birthday this week and I wanted to make a shoutout to him. I would not be where I am today without his support and love over the years. Throughout the depths of my addiction, all the way to the absolute bottom, he was always there for me. He never gave up on me and I will forever be grateful. He wouldn’t ever bond me out of jail - even when I begged - but he would always visit, answer my calls, and put money on my books to support me. If I didn’t have his and my family’s support, I believe I would have given up a long time ago. It took me so many attempts at finding long term recovery. There was a time I thought I didn’t have any meaning in life. I thought my life purpose was just to be an example of what NOT to do. But my family always encouraging me and still being there for me at my worst provided a foundation for me to build upon when I was finally ready to go ALL in. Thank you Dad and I hope you have a great year 🙏

I remember being up all night on a bender, when 6 or 7 AM came and people were getting ready to go to work while I was taking my last hits, it was the most depressing feeling. You feel like you are living in a different dimension than “normal” people.