Show me your friends and I will show you your future. These words have stuck within my brain since the cloudy, humid day in 8th grade when I heard them. A public speaker came to discuss drug abuse prevention and decision-making to a group of privileged private school kids who were most likely not listening. That particular day was hard for me as I was one of those kids, but with a different home life than most. My father and brother both struggle with substance abuse which negatively impacted my childhood in many ways. One fear that everyone has for the second child after the first one turns out to be an addict is that you’ll be next. “Show me your friends and I will show you your future”, the speaker said softly. People often wonder what went wrong. What lead a person down the twisted path of addiction. A short answer is that it involves the people you surround yourself with. To my young, angry, and overall defeated 8th grade self, this phrase turned on every theoretical light bulb in my mind. I realized that I did have control over my life and over my current situation. I could choose the right path by choosing the right people to keep around me. This life lesson helped me move forward with my coping journey. I have been able to understand that individuals struggling with addiction did not choose the lifestyle they are living, but instead are a product of negative impacts that others may have had on them. This experience has made me a much stronger person in terms of my Social Work career because it allows me to adhere tot he values and ethics within the NASW Code.