Johns Creek Writer Shares His Struggles

Chad Hepler was sitting in a jail cell when he decided it was time to turn his life around. 

“I’d been arrested for my second DUI,” he says. “And I thought, ‘I’m done with this.’”

Hepler, whose struggle with alcohol and drug addiction began in his early teens, got sober at age 22. His book, Intervention: Anything But My Own Skin, chronicles his personal battle with substance abuse and the time he spent at a wilderness recovery center at age 17.

Hepler hopes that by sharing his own experiences with addiction and the recovery process, he can help others. In his book, Hepler goes into specific detail about the reasons he started taking drugs and continued to seek them out.

“A lot of parents wonder why their children start taking drugs, and if they are responsible in some way,” he  says. “I don’t think anyone’s responsible for that. I was going to do what I was going to do. In my case, the root cause was low self-esteem. I didn't feel like I fit in anywhere. So I gravitated to weed and alcohol and the people who were smoking and drinking.”

Hepler’s struggle to get clean represents the hidden life of many high-schoolers in America due to the increasing accessibility of drugs and alcohol. Hoping to help and inspire teens who are facing the same temptations and struggles, he takes his story on the road to high schools, recovery centers and youth groups, speaking about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. He delivers an emotional message, encouraging youth to turn away from a self-destructive path and, instead, choose to help others. 

“The best high one can ever receive is not from a drug or a drink, but from a feeling of knowing you helped someone,” he says.

Hepler encourages parents of addicts to take advantage of resources that will help them deal with their own stress.

“Parents are always ashamed of what their child is doing and they don’t want to tell anyone, but keeping the problem hidden and isolating themselves is the worst thing they can do,” he says. “Al-Anon meetings are a great resource. Being with others who are going through the same experience can help relieve the panic and stress.”

Hepler seems almost surprised to be a published author.

“When I started writing about my experiences, I really intended it to be just for myself. I thought it would only be one chapter, but I found there was a lot more to tell,” he says. “Once the book was written, I found out how much it helped others by bringing clarity and peace to people who were trying to understand addiction and alcoholism.”

Hepler has written a second book that chronicles his experiences after leaving the treatment center, including his subsequent relapses and his eventual decision to get clean and stay clean. Titled Divine Intervention, this follow-up book is currently in the editing process and will be available soon.

A Johns Creek resident, Hepler recently graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in psychology. He currently works at a psychiatric addiction treatment center and is training to become a certified addiction counselor.

To contact Hepler about a speaking engagement or for more information, visit wwwinterventionbooks.com or email chad@interventionbooks.com. His book, Intervention: Anything But My Own Skin, is available for purchase at Amazon.com.