Recap of May 2 Speaking Engagement

I have taken my sweet time in updating on the speaking engagement at Grace Community Church. As much impact as I know my book is having, I know that these speaking engagements can take the message of Addiction Overcome to a whole new level. My speaking career seems to be the thing that that is putting a fire in the belly of my audiences. Concerned parents, elite Rotary Club members, and most importantly, several hundred high school students are hearing my story, and are being presented with the facts of drug abuse and addiction that cannot be ignored.

I titled my speech "Just One Line Can Change Your Life," And used PowerPoint to display statistics of drug abuse and addiction and some basic drug facts. I also invited the audience to ask me questions. The questions the group asked that night were amazing. They cut right to the bone. The more they asked, the more I opened up about the frightening reality that was my life as a cocaine addict. I dared to tell my story so that maybe just one more teen won't have to crawl on his or her belly through the depressing and disgusting shadows of addiction.

I didn't sell as many books as I had hoped to that night, but I know for certain that I got my message across. I could see it in the faces of shocked parents who were finally ready to accept that they had a teen who needed intervention. Though there were tears of liquid frustration in the eyes of some, I knew there was hope shining out from the depths. Hope for a miracle; hope that there would soon be another wonderful story of addiction overcome.

With more speaking engagements coming up, I'm busy writing and as always, researching the latest statistics on the subject of drug abuse, particularly among teens.