Real people. Real accounts.

My name is Bryan Thomson, and I know what it means to lose yourself to addiction.

Crystal meth was my drug, and once I was caught in that cycle, one hit was too much and a thousand was never enough. I went from being disciplined, driven, married, living in a million-dollar home and building a company that generated millions of dollars—to looking in the mirror and not giving a crap about the man staring back at me. Addiction didn’t take everything from me all at once. It slowly convinced me that none of it mattered.

When I got out of jail, I knew where my life was headed if I tried to do this alone. I knew my discipline was strong—but I also knew it wasn’t strong enough yet. So I voluntarily walked through the doors of Phoenix Rising Treatment.

What I found there wasn’t just treatment. I found people who genuinely gave a damn whether I made it.

There wasn’t a “come back in three days when we have time for you” mentality. The door was open. When I needed to talk, somebody listened. When I walked in, I was greeted with love instead of judgment. And when I started doing things that might seem insignificant to somebody who has their life together—going to the dentist, seeing a doctor, keeping commitments, showing up and handling life—they celebrated those victories with me.

Because they understood something important: when you’ve completely given up on yourself, learning to give a crap about yourself again is a huge accomplishment.

Some of the lessons at Phoenix Rising were repetitive, but I started looking at that classroom like a treasure box. Every time I walked in, I picked up another little gem—something I could put away and use later. Eventually, those little gems became principles. Those principles became actions. Those actions became habits. And those habits helped me become a man I could finally look at in the mirror and be proud of again.

I watched people ahead of me grow, graduate and leave the safety of that program to face the real world. It made me want to earn that same feeling. I wanted to rebuild trust with my family, with the people around me, and most importantly, with myself.

Today, I may have less materially than I once had, but I have something far more valuable: I appreciate my life and my sobriety in a way I never did before. I’ve already learned what happens when I trade everything for one more high. I don’t need to learn that lesson twice.

Phoenix Rising didn’t simply teach me how to stop using. They helped teach me how to start living again.

To Courtney Mouille, Ryan Evans, Terry Begay, Jeff, Kristin, the therapists, staff, and everyone who walked beside me: I love you all, and I will never forget your support, your love, your patience, and your teachings on my road to recovery.

You helped me become proud of the reflection in the mirror again.

Thank you, Phoenix Rising, for helping me rise from the ashes.