Like many people, Mech first experimented with drugs and alcohol as a teenager in high school. From the start, he struggled with moderation, which led to serious addiction issues—cocaine, crack, and meth—as the decades passed. After using for a long time, Mech started selling meth as a way to earn money alongside his full-time job. He served three prison sentences for crimes associated with meth, but it was a fourth arrest, this time for being a felon in possession of a firearm, that finally brought him to recovery.
Mech was offered a deal to go to a high-level, outpatient treatment facility in exchange for a three-year suspended sentence. He took it, and his counselor encouraged him to try out the Connections app, especially for the virtual support meetings. Living in a remote area, there weren’t any local meetings Mech could attend, so he logged on. “I’ve been on the Connections app daily ever since,” he said.
The opportunity to get treatment presented itself just as he was taking stock of his future. “I was tired of being sick and tired,” he said. “I could see where I was going to go to prison again. If I didn’t quit, I was going to lose my wife and my family.”
Today, Mech’s mornings begin with the Connections community, which keeps him in the right frame of mind to support his recovery. “I like to start my day interacting with people like me and spreading a little positivity,” he said. “August 9th (2025) will be two years clean.”
Voices of Recovery shares authentic stories from individuals who use CHESS Health’s digital recovery solutions. Participants voluntarily share their recovery journey and how our digital support solutions have helped them throughout. All stories are published using aliases and with explicit permission from each individual, and participants choose their own images that either represent their story or resonate with them as part of their recovery journey.
