Enzo's Story: How Addiction Nearly Destroyed An Ambitious Entrepreneur

The day everything changed

“I was almost 20 when fentanyl hit the streets. I didn’t know what it was—only that it got you super high. I started taking it…and I overdosed.”

What followed was a blur: two overdoses in one week, the second so severe that Enzo was found foaming at the mouth. He spent three days in a medically induced coma and a month relearning how to walk, use his hands, and even read an analog clock. The physical pain was immense; the emotional reckoning even bigger.

Key themes: teen addiction, fentanyl overdose, recovery story, wilderness therapy, therapeutic boarding school, family perspective, youth mentorship

Seattle roots, early independence, and the lure of belonging

Enzo grew up outside Seattle with present, hard-working parents—“a normal, middle-upper-class” life. A natural hustler with an entrepreneurial streak (selling chargers, candy, haircuts), he also craved loyalty and freedom. When a childhood friend group drifted, he found a new tribe—older, faster, riskier. The adventures felt like family. The drugs made everything louder.

When home can’t hold you

After vanishing for weekends, crossing state lines, and pushing every boundary, Enzo’s mom staged an intervention: wilderness therapy in Utah. The transport was jarring, the program grueling. He resisted hard—then learned two skills that later saved him:

• Be present: focus on the task right now, not the next week or the next year.

• Name the feeling: “I feel ___ because ___.” When you can name it, it doesn’t drive.

From there came a therapeutic boarding school. Enzo played the long game, earned a home visit—and ran. Back in Seattle, pills replaced weed. Partying blurred into self-medicating after a breakup that “hurt like a knife.”

The fentanyl era and a flatline

By 2017, fentanyl flooded the local supply. At 19, Enzo overdosed, left the hospital against medical advice, then overdosed again days later. A friend’s sister pulled him from a car and did CPR. He woke up intubated and catheterized—everything staff warned him about years earlier, now real.

“That invincible feeling disappeared. If I kept going, I wouldn’t make it to old age.”

His father flew up expecting a funeral. Instead, Enzo woke up—alive, fragile, and facing a choice.

Choosing a different hard

Enzo moved to San Diego, entered a partial hospitalization program, and took humble jobs while finishing school. He worked 60-hour weeks and used what wilderness taught him:

• Presence over panic

• Name it, don’t numb it

• Do the next right thing, consistently

Momentum built. Grades rose. Promotions came. Then a full-circle moment: he returned to work at a program like the one he had run from—this time as staff.

From patient to mentor: protecting the “going-home” window

In treatment, many teens stabilize. The danger is the first weeks back home—same streets, same friends, same temptations. Enzo saw the pattern and stepped into the gap:

• Accountability & relationship

• Skill practice in real life

• Positive peer influence when it matters most

He now mentors teens during that fragile transition—exactly when he used to slip.

👉 Learn more or request support: Life Strategies Mentors

What Enzo wants families to know

• You don’t have to “want sobriety” to start recovery. You can start by wanting a better day, a paycheck, a fresh start.

• Structure beats willpower. Programs help; the Bridge Home helps more.

• It’s not about scaring kids straight. It’s about relationship, timing, and practice—and having someone they respect in the room when choices show up.

Fast facts (for readers skimming)

• Overdosed twice in one week at 19; the second led to a 3-day coma and a month-long rehab to walk/use hands.

• Wilderness therapy taught presence and emotion labeling—skills he still uses daily.

• Built a new life in San Diego via humble work + school + routine.

• Now mentors teens to reduce relapse during the home transition window.

Frequently asked (and Googled)

What is the “going-home” window?
The first 2–8 weeks after residential or wilderness care—highest relapse risk due to old cues, peers, and stress.

How can parents support without control battles?
Set clear boundaries, keep routines tight, and add a third-party mentor who can coach, reality-test, and reinforce skills.

Do you have to be “ready” to quit?
No. Many start by getting stability first—sleep, food, safer people—then motivation grows.

If you’re in it right now

You don’t have to want sobriety to start getting your life back. Start with today. One call. One safe ride. One honest check-in.

Need mentorship for your teen?
http://www.lifestrategiesmentors.com/

Amber Hollingsworth

 Watch more stores of recovery:  

Reeves' Story Pt. 1 | Confronting the Lies I Told Myself and My Family

👇Additional Resources:

💡 Amber's 30-Day Jump Start for Early Recovery
🧠 Strengths-Based Recovery Coaching
🔐 Rapid Relationship Repair Course
📱 24/7 Advice from Amber AI
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Consult with a Family Coach