CNN WATCH! –

Sep. 18, 2020 – Earl Moore is a recovering opioid addict who found peace and achieved sobriety after discovering his passsion for crafting instruments.

Moore discovered the power of opioids to take that pain away while attending college at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. After a series of minor surgeries for ingrown toenails, Moore ended up with more than 400 pain pills in his medicine cabinet. “My friend came over and showed me that I could use these pills then to feel better, to study longer, to just have increased performance and it was great in the beginning.”

It helped him feel more comfortable in social situations too — but on the outside, Moore says, he looked ridiculous — slumped over and drooling. 

Moore’s addiction lasted more than 15 years — before he finally found the help he needed. It was a nightmare odyssey that led him to steal his grandmother’s cancer pain medication and his police officer brother’s ATM card to pay pills.

He says he tried to kill himself twice and spent nine months in jail where he was beaten in a prison riot.

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