Former Addict Shares Inspiring Transformation Photos To Prove Recovery Is Possible

Four years ago, after he was arrested for manufacturing methamphetamine, he had to watch while his son was once again forcibly removed from his care.

“As they were walking Krystian to the car, he turned around to look at me and said, ‘Daddy, I love you and I’ll never forget you,’” the single dad, 41, told TODAY. “He was four and thought he would never see me again.”

The 41 year old had been in and out of jail for the last 15 years of his life. This particular arrest led to him being placed in long-term treatment for 13 months, after which point he was due back in court for sentencing.

“I thought I’d be going away for a long time,” Wickline said. "I was looking at six to 30 years."

And that's exactly what he did.

Eventually, Wickline gained back custody of the now-9-year-old Krystian and the pair live happily together in West Virginia. There, the significantly healthier father regularly attends meetings and volunteers at treatment programs.

The pictures, which were posted on his Facebook page, show a dramatic difference between the man he used to be and who he's since fought hard to become. He encouraged others to share their own transformation photos using the same hashtag.

In the post, he wrote that the purpose of the photos was to try and "spread hope to those who are still struggling. We DO recover! There is life after dope!"

“I’m 5-foot-8 and I weighed 120 pounds,” he told TODAY. “I was a dead man.”

“Everything is so different now,” he continued. “I surround myself with positive people and I try to give back whenever I can. I want people to know that this is possibility. If I can do it, anyone can.”

"The other day [Krystian] came to me and asked for a PlayStation for Christmas,” he said. “Then he goes, “But if I don’t get one, I still have the best present in the world. You.’”

h/t: TODAY, Facebook | Jason Wickline.