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

Addiction's Toll: A Pharmacist's Journey to Sobriety #shorts

15 Oct 2026 · 1 min

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In this raw, first‑person monologue, pharmacist Jacob Fuchs recounts his struggle with substance addiction, describing how his scientific understanding of addiction failed to protect his family. He details the emotional devastation caused to his wife and young daughter, the broken trust and lies that resulted, and the painful reality that even after six months of sobriety, the relationship with his wife may never be restored. Fuchs emphasizes that forgiveness is not owed and that those still battling addiction must seek help before the disease dictates irreversible decisions. The piece ends with a direct, urgent appeal to viewers to get help.

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I would have died for my wife and daughter without hesitation, but somehow I couldn't stay sober for them. Tell me how the fuck that makes sense. I'm a pharmacist. I understand the science of addiction. But understanding what addiction does to your brain doesn't prepare you for what it does to your family. Because addiction doesn't give a shit about who you love. Doesn't care what you have. Doesn't care that you have a beautiful wife. Doesn't care that you have a little girl who thinks you're the greatest person on earth. And it clearly doesn't care about the promises you've made. And the hardest part? People you hurt don't owe you forgiveness just because you finally got sober. I lived through the lies, broken trust, the chaos. Now I'm 6 months sober, finally becoming the person I wanted to be. But the woman I wanted to share that life with may never come back. That's a fucking hard reality to accept. I can't change what addiction took from my past, but I'll be damned if I let it take my future too. If you're struggling, please get help before addiction makes that decision for you.