PATRICK KANEY OVERCAME ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ADDICTION TO FIND PURPOSE IN HELPING OTHERS

Patrick Kaney’s story begins like so many others. 

Normal childhood, raised by wonderful parents, played sports, hunted and fished with his father, and did everything else a kid from the south does. 

“From a very young age, I always had the need to try and help others,” Patrick said. “My need to help others led me to a career in law enforcement at the age of 21. I was on SWAT for a majority of my career and worked in special operations, which required me to be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and be in peak physical condition.”

This career, however, left Patrick with very little time to slow down and be present. That is, until an awful day in November of 2012 forced his life to come to a halt. 

“My dad, who was my best friend, passed away from cancer,” Patrick said. “I did not know the effect this would have on me until later on in my life. After he passed away, I started going out to bars more than going to the gym. I just thought I was burned out. I started slacking at work, and having trouble with relationships.”

At work, Patrick had a couple close friends pass away in the line of duty, and it started him questioning what he was doing career wise. He went from being fearless and hard-nosed, to second guessing every decision… which could have ended fatally for Patrick or someone else.  

“I had hurt my back one day and went along with the pain for some time until I finally decided to see a doctor,” he said. “The doctor prescribed me pain medication which I took like I was supposed to, with no negative effects at the time. A couple weeks later, I received a notification that I had a prescription refill for the pain medication – one I didn’t ask for. It was at that moment everything around me in my world went dark, and my focus was getting that prescription picked up.”

This started several years of hell for Patrick. The gym and his overall health were not in the picture. Friendships and relationships ceased to exist. He was lucky to get off the couch or get out of bed to go anywhere, unless it was to the bar.  

“I had become the person I didn’t think I would ever be,” he said. “I had become an alcoholic and an opiate addict. I went from someone who wanted to help everyone, to not even being able to help myself. I hid my addiction from everyone for as long as I could, until one day I went to work and ended up in jail. I had finally broke down, tired of fighting, and told someone I needed help.”

Patrick was in jail for six days before going to treatment. Once he was in, he felt like he finally found what he was looking for in life. After a year in treatment – six months to complete the program and an additional voluntary six months – he moved home and immediately became involved in the recovery scene. 

“Once I got established back home, with my mental health getting better, I decided it was time to get my physical health back on track,” Patrick added. “I started going back to the gym and found powerlifting to be a release. Something about the training, the discipline, and the feeling of leaving everything I had in the gym makes my day seem to go a little better.”

One night while watching YouTube videos, Patrick found APEMAN. He finally felt he discovered a company that he could resonate with and something he could relate to. 

“Every one of APEMAN’s statement shirts is a part of my life in some way, shape, and form,” Patrick said. “The one APEMAN word that is my favorite is PURPOSE. It reminds me that when I could have given up, when I was tired and didn’t want to fight anymore, that I had no purpose in life, there was something that kept me going.”

Now, Patrick is paying that PURPOSE forward in the form of helping others. 

“Every day I get the opportunity to help someone who is struggling with addiction or alcoholism or help someone who has time in sobriety and is struggling,” he said. “I am part of a group who is in the process of starting a non-profit to pay for people to enter treatment. Once a week, I go back to the recovery center where I found how to live life again, and do a literature study with the guys there, to show them that it is possible to stay sober and have a full, fun life.”

Not every day is easy for Patrick, but what keeps him going is knowing he has an opportunity to save someone’s life by sharing his story. 

“I want to be that person they can lean on when they are tired of fighting and want to change,” he said. “My life today is better than I could have ever planned.”