My best friend, my hero, my father died from his addiction. Growing up it was hard to watch the person who I looked up to fade into addiction. I often questioned my worth and place in this world because I felt like he put his addiction over me. I will never forget October 13, 2016 the day my father passed away due to drinking and driving. Through all the struggles his addiction brought our family this was by far the worst. I was fourteen years old and he was the only parent around. In one day my entire life was ruined. For a long time I was angry at him for choosing his addiction over me. Most importantly I was mad ant myself for not being able to help him and making his problems worse. Time and time again my father would quit drinking but he always ended up relapsing. A few years after he passed I started experimenting with drugs and alchohol. I quickly realized the apeal and noticed no matter how much I tried I couldn’t stop. At first it was little things like getting drunk with my friends or smoking weed. That quickly became psychedelics and cocaine. I started to notice that I couldn’t focus or relax if I wasn’t on something. I decided to tell my foster parents and get the help I needed. Over 17% of Americans ages twelve and over suffer from substance use disorders. The opioid crisis in America is only getting worse and I wanna be apart of something that helps others. No one deserves to suffer from substance abuse and no one deserves to see there loved ones suffering. After doing research on addiction and the biological and trauma based factors that play into it I decided I wanted to become a substance abuse counselor. I plan on doing this by obtaining a bachelors degree in counseling with an emphasis on substance abuse. I am currently enrolled at Grand Canyon University. I believe little people can make big changes in the world. I know in my heart that this is where God wants me to be. God allowed me to go through that trauma so I can help someone else get through it. My biggest hope in life is to help someone so their outcome can be different than mine. Your scholarship will help me achieve that goal and help others.