Addiction that Started at the Age of 12: A Conversation with Doug Clarke

From age 12 through 18, Doug began to experiment with any and all forms of drugs that he could get his hands on, from ecstasy to crystal meth. Over the course of the next few years, oxycodone became the dominant Idol that consumed him and which eventually transitioned into a full-blown heroin addiction. Doug shares his journey into drug addiction, including how being raised “in the church” left him feeling so empty that he searched for, and found acceptance through the fans of a band called Insane Clown Posse. Their message of sex, drugs, and violence filled the empty hole in his heart. In this far reaching conversation, Doug touches on how parents should respond to the manipulation of a drug addict, whether or not coming off of drugs cold turkey as he did is always the best way, why addicts are willing to destroy their lives and loved ones for that fix, and why addicts often go back to drugs after rehab. Doug offers hope, not only to the person addicted to drugs, but also to the people who love them.

Doug Clarke is a husband and father and works for Jublilee Ministries, where he is the Aftercare/New Path Manager.