Justin Silvers is 42 years old. For 28 of those years he has suffered with addiction, the past 14 years being involved with meth. He admits that meth took over his life.
There are two other significant numbers in his life. The first is 16 and that is the number of years he has spent incarcerated. He has served time in Iowa jails and prisons and jails in Grant County and Chippewa Falls. He graduated from Platteville High School and went right to prison.
The other number is two and that is for his two sons, ages 11 and 1, who he never gets to see. Because of his time behind bars and the time he spent homeless the courts have taken his children away from him. He is trying to prove that he is now on the right track and is hopeful he will eventually have them back in his life. He went so far as taking his request for being in his children’s life to the Supreme Court but they denied changing the original ruling. But Silvers will keep working to show the courts he has changed and should have a part in the lives of his children.
The good news he is now clean and is working to stay that way. And because he knows how important sobriety is he constantly shares the fact he has achieved that with others.
Through his efforts he has inspired others to seek sobriety and spread the help others get along the way. He wants people working to get clean to know they matter and those helping them get that way also matter.
“What we do to help really does matter,” Silvers says.
What changed his life? In the end his decision to get clean was the major change. But that did not just happen.
Not much of a reader and locked away for what he says was the worst part of his life Silvers turned to reading to pass the time. He did research wanting to find out how the brain works and the effects addiction has on the body and mind. He spent a lot of time involved in studies.
One book in general opened his eyes and sent him on his path to recovery. That book was “Switch On Your Brain ” by Caroline Lent. After reading it he began to assess his own situation and learned how to deal with urges. He also learned how to deal with the triggers.
Silvers has been a free man since last August and now that he is clean he admits he has never felt more alive. And that is a feeling he readily shares with others.
Silvers took the job with Menards for more than a paycheck. He gets to meet people and share his story of hope with those who are addicted or connected with someone who is. He is often seen having a cup of coffee with someone seeking advice, companionship and/or a sympathetic ear. In short, Silvers wants to help.
One of his goals is to engage others to help others. One of those who became involved is Jamie Merrill, formerly of Dodgeville, who is a recovering addict and readily spreads the message of hope. She is one of the biggest supporters of his book.
The book .. “In The Struggle/poems from an addict’s heart” … is a collection of poems he has written and self published. It sells for $20 and can be obtained on Amazon or from Silvers personally. Merrill usually has books available too as she picks up eight every couple weeks to distribute and share. The book is about the personal struggles Silvers has gone through and the road to recovery. He is a frequent reader of his poetry at coffee shops and open mics.
“Jamie has gone through the struggles too,” Silvers says. “She is in a good place right now and wants to help others.”
The book can be found in unexpected places. Silvers has them at the area jails and has several deputies who are on patrol with copies in their cars. They share the book freely and sometimes when issuing a warning they urge the person involved to take a book and read it.
The book is also found on benches throughout the community so the homeless can have access too.
Silvers encourages people to sponsor the book and write an inspirational message on the inside cover. Information about Silvers and his book can be found on social media. He is heavy into Facebook and Tik- Tok.
Silvers points out the book is not a cure for addiction but rather it is a story about his side of addiction.
The road has been long and hard for Silvers but he has prevailed and he wants to have others be able to do the same.
“I don’t have the urges to use anymore,” Silvers said. “I want to help others find that too.”
