Jacob FuchsDirector of Pharmacy at CSC, St. Luke's Health System · Director of Pharmacy

180 Days Sober: My Brutal Addiction Journey & Hope #shorts

18 Sept 2026 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:56

In this raw, first‑person monologue Jacob Fuchs reflects on his lifelong battle with addiction, a recent relapse into drinking five years ago, and the legal finalization of his divorce. He acknowledges that his actions have led to his ex‑wife and their three‑year‑old daughter facing a split household, and he takes full responsibility for the situation. Jacob describes the intense psychological discomfort that drives substance use, the fear and denial that kept him from sobriety, and the stark contrast he perceives between his struggles and others who use substances without apparent consequences. He shares that he will reach 180 days of sobriety on an upcoming Saturday, describing those 180 days as the hardest period of his life yet also the most enlightening. Despite feeling at his lowest point, he expresses a determined resolve to continue sober for the sake of his daughter, framing this milestone not as an ending but as the beginning of a new chapter.

Chapters

I just got an email from my lawyer saying that the paperwork's been finalized and that I need to sign it. It just makes it all real. I've struggled with addiction my entire life. My wife knew that when she married me, and I made the wise decision 5 years ago to start drinking again, and now I find myself here. Brutal. I'm not giving up. We have a 3-year-old daughter who's beautiful, whose birthday's on Monday, and I get 180 days sober on Saturday. I used up all my second chances with my ex-wife, and I'm the only person to blame. Now my daughter My daughter has to grow up in 2 households, higher risk of all sorts of stuff. And I'm like the only person to blame. I wish it was out of hatred while I was using, like it was for a reason, but no, it just like was uncomfortability and escape from that, like not just feeling okay in my own skin. Which I know is just hard to understand for people that are not addicts, but it's just very uncomfortable. And then it seems so small because you see other people using things like THC and alcohol with no consequences. Yet you, you're just stuck. And it's the only thing that makes you feel okay. And it stops fucking working. And then you're stuck. And you're really stuck. And you want to stop more than anything in this world. And you can't. Like, I thought, of course I'll be able to stop for my wife. Of course. Like, when my baby's born, I'll be able to stop for her. And I would white-knuckle it. And I would make it far. There's only one way to survive. And I was in denial about it for a long time because I was afraid of it. I was just afraid. I was scared of what it was going to be like to be sober the rest of my life. And now it's like the most amazing thing ever. And I'm probably at the lowest point I've ever been in my entire life. 180 days sober, hardest 180 days of my life. I haven't had to use or escape. So it's confusing, hurts, but I have to keep going for my daughter. This is not the end of my story. It's the beginning.