My name is Brett, and I’m 37 years old. I had a 17-year addiction to meth and heroin. My daughter was born on December 9, 2016, and she was positive for meth and opiates. CPS got involved and sent her mom and me to inpatient rehab for six months. Her mom left after three months in the program, and I stayed and completed it. I also completed a year of drug court. My CPS case was closed shortly after that. I have full custody of my daughter today. Her mom is out of the picture, and I was a single Dad.

I eventually went back to school and got my substance abuse certificate. I was a substance abuse counselor for three years in San Joaquin County. I was offered an opportunity to become a Drug Court Case Manager for Dependency Drug Court at the San Joaquin County Court House in Stockton, Ca, working for the same Judge that saved my life. I have been there for a little over a year, helping parents fight their addiction and helping them get their children back.

I have a clean date of 12/26/16. Every day I make sure to tell my daughter I love her. Sometimes I am in disbelief about how far I have come in my recovery and as a father. No matter what mistakes I make, my daughter will always run up to me when I get home yelling, “Daddies home,” as she gives me a big hug and a kiss. That makes everything I went through worth it. In the middle of all these accomplishments, I got engaged to a beautiful woman who treats my daughter like her own. We will get married on May 27, 2023, and I couldn’t be happier!!”