Reggie’s story does not offer simple answers. He was intelligent, curious and capable, grew up in a loving and supportive family, and had opportunities to build a very different life. Yet he often seemed unable—or unwilling—to look far enough ahead to see the consequences that his parents and others warned him about. Choices that may have seemed manageable in the moment accumulated over time, and addiction eventually made the idea of choice itself far more complicated. Even after serious consequences, Reggie repeatedly tried to begin again.

This site was originally created, in 2006, to preserve Reggie’s writings and honour his ambition to be a writer. Over time, however, people dealing with addiction in their own families began finding his story and reaching out to ours. For 17 years, our father responded to many of them, drawing on what he had learned while trying to help his son. We cannot replace that experience or offer the personal guidance he once provided. In restoring the archive, we have instead added information about warning signs and links to professional and community resources in the hope that Reggie’s experiences—and what our family learned from them—may still be useful to others.