I used to tell myself: this is the real me. This is who I was meant to be, and I'm never going back.
In this personal testimonial, Dallas Bragg reflects on his past involvement in a drug‑using subculture where he equated his identity with the crowd’s activities—stealing, using crystal meth, and participating in chemsex. He explains that the appeal was the ease of belonging without having to prove himself amid societal pressures such as work and fatherhood. Bragg recounts how drug treatment court forced him to stop using, prompting a shift in self‑perception from a user to someone who does not use crystal meth. He realizes that the sense of security and belonging he sought from the group was already present within himself, and that true connection cannot be conditional on drug use or other harmful behaviors. Bragg urges listeners to examine what they truly lack, question the value they receive from such relationships, and consider how they can provide those needs internally. The overarching message is that recovery involves reclaiming self‑generated belonging and rejecting conditional group identities.
