How Zac Clark Found Addiction Recovery: 7 Lessons from a Journey of Hope

3. A Life-Altering Diagnosis: The Brain Tumor

A pivotal moment in Clark’s story occurred in 2007 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Despite his family’s concerns that his symptoms were a result of his drinking, he had an intuition that something more was wrong. The diagnosis and subsequent emergency surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital were sudden and traumatic. However, instead of serving as a wake-up call, the experience became a new gateway for addiction.

Following the surgery, he was prescribed Dilaudid and morphine to manage the intense pain. As he recovered, he realized with chilling clarity that his first thought was not about his health or the new lease on life he had been given, but about getting out of the hospital so he could drink again. This moment was his first realization that he had a substance use issue, as he was physically separated from alcohol for the first time.

The pain medication, combined with his existing predisposition, cemented a new path for his addiction. He found himself telling himself, as many people do, that he needed the pills to function, even after the initial physical pain had subsided, a sentiment echoed in many stories of the opioid crisis.

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4. From Prescription Pills to Heroin: The Progression of Addiction

After his prescribed painkillers ran out, Clark’s self-deception continued. He began buying pills illegally, a sign that the addiction had taken hold. He was a “walking science project,” a mix of uppers and downers that allowed him to get through the day while maintaining the facade of a successful young man. He was still showing up to work and getting things done, but the cost was astronomical.

“I was a freight train,” he said, “I was able to show up. I was able to get things done. But, but at the end of the day, if I didn’t have my thing, I, if I didn’t have my fix, it’s not gonna come crumbling down. I’m just gonna, you know, I’m gonna feel like garbage and then I’m gonna have to work even harder the next day to try and figure it out.” The tolerance he built eventually made prescription pills less effective, leading him to a desperate and devastating choice: heroin. He explains that for many, heroin becomes the logical next step because it is “cheaper and it’s just as effective.” His descent was rapid and total, a powerful example of how the disease of addiction progresses from one substance to the next, with increasing intensity.

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5. The Family’s Struggle: An Invisible Battle

Throughout his active addiction, Clark’s family was left in a state of confusion and worry. He explains that his parents, like most, simply didn’t have a playbook for this situation. They knew something was wrong, but they couldn’t pinpoint that it was a substance use disorder. A parent’s first instinct, he notes, is not to suspect addiction, but to worry about other issues like mental health, physical ailments, or relationship problems. This is a common struggle for families. They want to believe their loved ones and they struggle with the guilt and shame that come with realizing they missed the signs.

Clark, now an advocate who works with families through his organization, Release Recovery, understands this deeply. He says it’s important to remember that families are not to blame. “That’s putting way too much pressure” on them. This is a topic explored by many organizations that offer family support in addiction recovery, such as Al-Anon, which provides resources and meetings for the friends and family members of alcoholics.

6. The First Attempt at Treatment and the Relapse

Clark’s first foray into recovery was an unplanned, desperate walk-in to a treatment center in South Jersey. He had been outed by a friend, and a confrontation with his mother led him to admit he needed help. His 28-day stay was a mixed bag. While the experience planted the seeds of recovery by exposing him to therapy and 12-step programs, it also exposed him to new dangers. “I went to treatment the first time and learned about heroin,” he reveals, underscoring the reality that treatment can sometimes be a place where individuals are exposed to more severe substance use.

After leaving treatment, he was given an aftercare plan, but he wasn’t ready to fully commit. He tried to moderate, believing he could just drink and not use drugs. It was a common and dangerous experiment for many in early recovery. The relapse was swift and brutal. Within a short time, a single pint of vodka led him back to the streets of Camden, New Jersey, to buy heroin. The speed of his return to active addiction illustrates the powerful nature of the disease and the critical importance of a committed recovery plan.

7. A New Beginning: The Journey to True Recovery

This second relapse was the beginning of Clark’s lowest point. His life became a blur of substance use, deceit, and desperation. He was no longer living; he was “just waiting to die.” He finally reached a point where he stole one of his father’s checks, and as he tried to cash it, a bank teller intervened, calling his father and holding him there until he arrived. This moment, which he recounts at the start of the podcast, was his final wake-up call. “My dad walked in and I saw him…He got to me and he’s just like, he put his arm, my arm, and he’s like, son, we’re going home.”

This moment of grace and intervention marked the start of his true recovery journey. Clark’s story reminds us that recovery is not a linear process. It is often filled with relapses, mistakes, and painful lessons. His journey highlights the importance of asking for help, recognizing the subtle traumas of our past, and understanding that addiction affects not just the individual, but everyone around them. Today, through his work at Release Recovery, he helps others find their own path to an “easier, softer way to live,” offering hope and a powerful example of what is possible on the other side of addiction.