From left, Tommy Streeter of Warsaw and Nate Moellering of Fort Wayne. Photo provided by Bare Knuckle Recovery

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a five-part series on addiction that will run at 5 p.m. each day this week.

By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The following words come from a Facebook post shared by former heroin addict Tommy Streeter of Warsaw:

“One of my favorite childhood memories is laying in my parents’ bed by myself, watching TV, just because I felt so safe and comfortable there.

I have an unlimited number of good memories from my childhood, and it couldn’t have been any better than it was. I had all the love, support and encouragement in the world. I had plenty of positive role models, many of them family members. 

I always had everything I needed for a happy, healthy childhood. The worst thing that ever happened to me as a child was the terrible haircut I always seemed to have. 

I still ended up a homeless, hopeless, miserable heroin addict. It can happen to anyone. It has nothing to do with race, religion, socioeconomic status, none of that. I had my own mental health issues that had nothing to do with my upbringing. I found a way to self-medicate at age 13, smoking weed. That began a downward spiral that lasted 12 years, and ended with multiple rehab stays and heroin overdoses, arrests and a hopeless state of mind. 

I’m sharing this to reinforce the fact that addiction does not judge. Addiction doesn’t care who you are or where you came from. It is a relentless and insidious disease. But there is hope. If you’re struggling, there’s no shame is asking for help. I thought I was better off dead. I was wrong. Asking for help was the greatest decision I ever made and I’m grateful every day that I was able to get the help I needed. You can too.”

A photo of Streeter when he was in active addiction. Photo provided by the Streeter family

Streeter spent almost 10 years as a heroin addict, living on the streets of Warsaw for a period of time. He went from being quarterback of the high school football team to begging and stealing to ensure he could get his next bag of heroin in order to avoid the crippling withdrawal. 

He now works as a community outreach coordinator at Fort Wayne Recovery and Allendale Treatment Center, along with Community Outreach Director Nate Moellering of Fort Wayne, also a recovering addict.

Moellering began using substances at the age of 12.  When he was 15 or 16 years old, Moellering was given Vicodin for a football injury, with no warning of the dangers associated with prescription drug use. He spent a dozen years as an addict.

The two men are the administrators of Bare Knuckle Recovery vlog, where they share their experiences and advice with addicts and families all over the world.

Streeter and Moellering sat down with InkFreeNews for an in-depth interview about addiction. 

They believe that sharing stories of addiction is vital.

“If we want people to come forward and get the help they need, we have to reduce stigma,” Moellering said. “Sharing these stories is how we do that.”

They hope that by telling their stories, they can help others understand the disease of addiction, why it’s so difficult for addicts to get clean and why “just stopping” is physically, mentally and emotionally impossible. 

Topics from that interview, including how each became addicted to heroin, their battle with addiction, treatment and recovery, how they maintain sobriety, the opioid crisis and more, will be covered in the five-part series.