Rob Michael has been a locksmith for 36 years. Like all professions, he had to start at the bottom as an apprentice for seven years before opening up his own company that lasted for 22. His wife took the business in the divorce along with his three kids who are the best thing to ever happen to him, all in their twenties now and all still in touch with their father. “Divorce killed me,” he said, admitting that his own unfaithfulness led to the separation. It took him eight years to be able to start over again, but after both his parents passed away within two years of each other, he was sent spiraling towards the bottle. In addition to the emotional struggles, Rob also recently battled a cancer scare, arteriosclerosis, a cigarette addiction and a kidney stone. He explained how he was cut off from OxyContin after three months and turned to the streets, only to be put on methadone by the general hospital. It’s something “so wrong in the system, but you can’t do anything about it,” as Rob views it. Nothing has been easy for Rob, but today he says, “I can look at myself in the mirror and I know I’m a good person and I’m happy inside of my own skin.” I asked if there was any advice he would give to someone going through a similar struggle and he immediately answered, “don’t listen to anybody.” Nobody is going through the same thing in his opinion, so no words of wisdom are universally applicable. One thing he repeatedly told me is that taking it “one day at a time” is how he managed to be okay again, “as corny as that sounds,” he added with a laugh.

Author: Jordana Colomby