Addicted at 9, Homeless at 17, and Trapped in Prison for 11 Years

Gitt Up with Adam Larkin · Jul 23, 2026 · 54m

Nathan Thomas was introduced to substances by his own family when he was only 9 years old.

By his early teenage years, his addiction had escalated to benzodiazepines and other pills. At 17, Nathan was homeless, moving from place to place and desperately trying to outrun a life that was quickly falling apart.

But the streets were only the beginning.

For the next 11 years, Nathan found himself repeatedly incarcerated. Every time he was released, his addiction became more destructive. The consequences grew, the pain deepened, and the possibility of building a different life seemed farther away…