Henry Johnson, 22, hopes his story of recovery will inspire those still struggling with addiction to get the help they need.

By Carissa Polo

Henry Johnson grew up in a healthy home, with a loving family and everything he needed to help him succeed in his life. That didn’t stop him from becoming an addict.

Although stereotypes of alcoholics and addicts are often people who had poor upbringings, addiction can affect anyone, regardless of social or economic circumstances.

“The idea that addiction affects people who are impoverished, you know, who choose to use substances to escape their reality, or to escape their poor circumstances — I’m living proof that that’s not how it works,” Johnson said.

The 22-year-old former University of Minnesota student said he felt his addictive personality — the idea of wanting more than what he had — led him down a path of becoming an addict even at a young age.

Even as a child, Johnson said he could never just ask for one cookie — he always asked his parents for two or three, or however many more he could get. “I was always somebody who if a little bit was good, more was better,” he said.

In high school, Johnson saw a disconnect between how highly he viewed himself and the way he still felt like an outsider. Despite being surrounded loving people, getting good grades and being a member of the school’s baseball team, Johnson felt alone.

Looking back, he now sees his turn to drugs and alcohol was a way of coping with his distorted view of his life.

“Something that I guess people don’t get about people who are true alcoholics and true drug addicts is that we have a disease of perception,” Johnson said. “The way that I see the world, and the way that I see people and my interactions with them and my place in it, is not right. It’s totally skewed.”

His use started with the prescription drug Adderall, which he said he bought from friends because he was convinced he had Attention Deficit Disorder, despite not being diagnosed.

But his life changed with alcohol.

He almost made it through high school without drinking. His parents never had alcohol in the house because they are sober. In fact, they had met through a 12-step recovery program.

But during a high school trip to France, Johnson decided it was time to drink.

“I decided that if I’m going to France, then I’m doing this trip right,” he said. “I bought a shot glass at the airport.”

From there, Johnson started drinking and hiding alcohol when he could get it from his family and friends.

When he went to the University of Minnesota for college, his addiction only grew worse. Every night, Johnson would convince himself he needed to stop, but he couldn’t control it. He was spiraling into the worst his addiction had ever been.

“I would wake up in the morning and wretch over the trashcan for a couple of hours. Nothing’s left in me, but my body’s still freaking out,” he said. “The last thing I wanted to do was put drugs or alcohol in my body, but I had to go to work. So I had a box of Franzia I would wash down and take Adderall I wasn’t prescribed.”

One night in April 2015, Johnson lost control of his car and crashed. He asked his parents for help. They put him in contact with a man who took Johnson to his first 12-step recovery meeting.

“It wasn’t worse than any other night but for some reason there was this internal intervention,” he said. He realized he was never going to get any better. He realized the drinking was probably going to kill him.

From there, Johnson dropped out of the University of Minnesota and moved into St. Paul Sober Living. He is now finishing his college education at Augsburg University, where he is an active member of the school’s sober program, StepUP.

Johnson will be three years sober in August 2018 and hopes his story will be relatable to someone struggling and that they might have the strength to reach out to him or another person for help.

“What keeps me sober today is a genuine desire to help the still-suffering alcoholic,” Johnson said. “It’s the purpose of my life.”