Family helps man get life back from addiction

He lost his job. He lost his wife. He nearly lost his life. Then, he got it all back. Brad Fields credits his recovery from an opioid addiction to his family, Summit County’s drug court program and God. The former Cuyahoga Falls man, who now lives in New Philadelphia, plans to dedicate the rest of his life to helping others struggling with the addictions that upended his life.

“There is hope,” said Fields, 39. “There is life beyond it. You have to surrender.”

Like many people who become addicted to opioids, Brad’s path began with pain pills he was prescribed after a motorcycle crash that nearly killed him. When his doctor cut off his prescription, he turned to heroin and fentanyl.

Brad overdosed once and was revived by naloxone. Many others in Summit County weren’t so lucky — and paid with their lives.

Crash and pills

Brad Fields was on top of the world in 2009.

He had a great job inspecting lift trucks that took him to 40 states and kept his bank account flush. He and his wife, Danyell, lived in a rented house in Cuyahoga Falls with their 5-year-old son, Anthony. They each had cars and he had a motorcycle.

That changed in July, when Brad, who had been drinking and smoking pot with his buddies, crashed his motorcycle on U.S. 224. Brad slid across the asphalt, shaving the skin off his hands. He broke his leg and herniated discs in his back.

Danyell bathed him for six weeks because he couldn’t use his hands. He was out of work for several months.

Brad was in a lot of pain and his doctor prescribed Percocet and Vicodin. For the first six weeks, he took six to 10 pills a day.

After about a year, Brad’s doctor began weaning him from the pills. He took Brad off Percocet first and then both drugs.

His doctor gave him one final prescription and, after that, Brad bought pills from a friend. He hid what he was doing from Danyell, stashing envelopes with cash in his work van and in the house.

In 2014, a friend told Brad he could get him heroin and he snorted it for the first time. He later realized this was actually fentanyl, which is 25 times stronger than heroin.

That year, around Christmas, Danyell was upstairs wrapping presents and Anthony was watching TV when Danyell heard strange noises downstairs. She found Brad unresponsive and called 911. The paramedics revived Brad with naloxone and told her he could have died in minutes if she hadn’t found him.

“I’m done — with everything,” Brad promised.

But he wasn’t. Danyell started to notice large sums of money missing on bank statements. Brad got upset when she questioned him.

She gave Brad an ultimatum: Get help or she’d leave.

Danyell filed for separation in July 2015 and moved out with Anthony in August.

Rehab and arrests

Brad went to rehab facility in Florida in December 2015.

He stayed a few days, then left with a new friend. They partied for several weeks, and Brad headed home.

In 2016, Brad was in and out of rehab, jail and court. Within a seven-month period, he had three felony drug cases. He started shooting up fentanyl and heroin rather than snorting it.

His charges included theft of drugs — he stole fentanyl and morphine from a fire station where he was doing a job assignment — possession of heroin and illegal use of drug paraphernalia.

In the midst of his trouble, Brad tried rehab again, first going to Edwin Shaw where he was given Suboxone, which is used to treat opioid addiction. He sold it to buy heroin.

“I was lost, helpless, worthless,” Brad said.

Brad attended 12-step meetings but was high when he went. Danyell divorced him in June and, that month, he quit his job.

“How I didn’t kill myself, I don’t know,” said Brad, who took up to 3 grams of heroin a day and dabbled in meth.

Recovery and salvation

Brad’s road to recovery began when he was admitted to the Community Based Correctional Facility (CBCF), a residential treatment center in Akron, for four months, found God and entered the Turning Point drug court program in November 2017.

Brad had come across several spiritual men during his recovery process and had begun studying the Bible. At a moment when he was feeling overwhelmed, Brad said he told God, “I don’t know how I can live and not be on drugs.”

Brad said God told him, “This is how,” and he felt God’s presence.

With this new spiritual foundation, Brad excelled in Turning Point. He was able to satisfy his community-service requirements and pay his fines by doing projects at Relentless, the Green church he and Danyell attend. They began dating again after he made progress in recovery.

When Brad graduated from Turning Point in November, Walker, Danyell and Anthony were there. Brad wept and had trouble speaking.

Brad also cried when he and Danyell exchanged vows again in March at Relentless. Brad has been working as a painter for Dave Fisher, another Relentless pastor, and assisting Walker with outreach work.

Brad, who has now been sober for two years, plans to look into becoming a recovery coach next month when he celebrates his first anniversary from Turning Point.

“I feel like maybe that’s where my heart’s at,” he said.