Professional skateboarder Donny Barley is opening up about one of the darkest periods of his life and how getting sober, finding faith and accepting help from other people gave him a reason to keep going.
Twelve years ago, Barley says he was desperate, broken and at a point where he did not want to be here anymore.
Drugs and alcohol had taken him into a place he struggled to escape, and getting sober was not something that happened overnight.
He eventually started attending a 12 step program and began hearing things that connected with what he was going through.
At first, however, staying sober was difficult.
He would fall back into using drugs and alcohol, only to find himself dealing with the same problems again.
Things began changing when Barley committed himself to sobriety.
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He found good sponsors, started taking things one day at a time and gradually began feeling better about himself.
A big part of that change also came through his faith.
Barley spoke about no longer seeing himself as a victim and learning to trust God through the process.
He also began forgiving other people and, perhaps most importantly, forgiving himself.
Getting sober was not about pretending life suddenly became easy for Barley. He admitted that it can still be scary at times, but he credits God and the people around him for helping him stay on the right path.
He also stressed that people struggling with addiction should not try to handle everything alone.
Having people to call, sponsors to lean on and a support system can make a huge difference when someone is trying to stay clean.
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Barley has now been sober for 12 years, and he wants to use his experience to help other people who are struggling with drugs and alcohol.
He spoke about seeing people take pills, lose friends and continue suffering from addiction, something that deeply affects him.
He is providing awareness to everyone to ask for help, pick up the phone and talk to someone.
Start the program and give yourself a chance to change.
Barley also gave credit to God throughout his message, thanking Him for bringing him through some of the hardest years of his life.
His story comes at a time when sobriety, addiction and faith have become more visible within parts of skateboarding.
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Some skaters have spoken publicly about getting sober, attending church and turning toward Christianity after years of substance abuse.
Skateboarding has also had a long relationship with alcohol, drugs and darker religious imagery, with satanic themes, the number of the devil 666 and pentagrams appearing in various graphics, magazines, boards and clothing over the years.
For some skaters, faith has become an important part of leaving that lifestyle behind.
Barley's message is ultimately about staying alive, accepting help and having faith when things feel impossible.
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After reaching a point where he says he did not want to be here anymore, he now has over a decade of sobriety behind him and wants to help others find their own way out.
As long as he is breathing, Barley says he will keep doing his best to help people who are struggling.
He ended his message by giving thanks to God and wishing everyone well.