D1 Athlete Lost Everything to Cocaine: His Journey Back to Jesus

One injury ended his D1 soccer dream. One line of cocaine stole his future. One night on the water, he flipped his kayak, slept alone in the woods, and his family filed a missing person's report. My conversation today is with Shane Curtis, [music] 26 years old. He's going to share a story and the 90-day miracle that brought him back to life. [music] His story starts right now, but it only keeps going because of you. To support the channel, hit the thanks button, become a member, or give at the PayPal link in the description. Every dollar helps us keep sharing stories [music] of folks like Shane. Let's change the next life together. Yeah. So, I'm Shane Curtis from Northern Virginia. I'm Manis Area. I'm 26 years old and yeah, about to graduate on Tuesday and it's been a ride to say the least. So, happy. It's exciting, man. So, so let's let's jump right into it, man. So tell me a little bit about life prior to Teen Challenge, right? What brought you here and you what was going on in your life before coming? Yeah, so the beginning parts was sports. That was my identity. That's grew up playing sports, very heavily involved and all through I was raised up in a good home. So I really when I'd come back and forth from sports, we go to church. I remember the Sundays and the weekends and then the week would just keep rolling through practice, games, school, and that's all I knew. And a lot of people looked at my family as this really good Christian household and I never had that full one-on-one relationship with God, like a strong relationship. I always put it into sports. And that's how my identity for me seemed like it was going that way. Like I just wanted to go big and was football, soccer, wrestling was my three sports I did all throughout high school. Well, starting elementary, middle and high school, committed to Longwood University to play soccer. Had a bad injury and that's when it started to go downhill from there. So after the injury, so, so leading up to that point, you said your family, I've met your family, right? Awesome people, really, really deep in their faith, passionate about Jesus. So where was your faith going into Longwood University, like how would you say your relationship with the Lord was? Yeah, it wasn't strong. I'd say I wasn't deep rooted. that's I, I wasn't deep rooted at all. And I had a hard time fathoming all the stuff. I just felt like I never had that real one-on-one connection with God. And I knew he was in my life, but I never really felt it. I never had an encounter. I never had that overwhelming feeling of, okay, yeah, he's really he's really here. You like my mom would tell me, my dad, and we were good with the pastors and the churches, and we but yeah, that was that was it. I knew, I was a Christian. was more walking the walk, I wasn't really living it out. so, so then going to Longwood my freshman year of college, I felt like I was out of my shell now. I wasn't a big crazy party or drink or all that in high school. I would go out, I'd have fun, I'd drink, occasionally smoke weed, and that was all that I never got into hard drugs until one day I was, it was a normal day. We, it was a, it was a game day and, we had two games during the week and this was the second one. And, it was a home game and I remember I breaking my leg. fast forward, slam the goalpost, just cracked my fibular head. they in the beginning thought it was a torn ACL, but the swelling and all that stuff, the doctors, hey, look, you got to wait till the swelling goes down till you can get like an MRI and a real professional look at this. And so I came back, it was a broken [clears throat] leg. And they're you're out for 6 months [snorts] at the least. And so during those 6 months was quite literally the start of me trying all that time with the 6 a.m. lift and then class and then a practice and then film studies and all this stuff. That was all I was I just I felt myself being man, like what am I going to do now? And I would they still wanted me to go to like the 6 a.m. list and stuff. I started skipping those cuz like what's the point? I'm just going to crutch in there. And so, and I started missing those. And then, then, then, and [clears throat] I found myself with pulling myself out more of the team atmosphere, I started smoking weed heavily in college. Heavily. And and then drinking more than just when we got home from an away game trip, when we were traveling back home, got home and would party on the weekends. It wasn't just any more partying on the weekends. It was each night I was pretty much drinking and smoking weed and messing with girls and [clears throat] yeah and so I came back for a short period after my injury and I just wasn't the same. I wasn't I didn't feel the same. I felt like the coaching staff and they were pushing me under the rug and just So, how was addiction at that point cuz you were disconnected from the sports and the team and all that, but how was it affecting your academics and your ability to proceed in college? Yeah, it was my academics dropped honestly. I should have they should have been better because I had more time to focus on and I wasn't on the road having to study and stuff, but they actually they got worse cuz when the team would leave me to go away to travel for games, I would be back doing everything other than studying and they we had these badges where we'd check in to our study hall for the athletics department and I would ne like they could track if you're scanning yourself in and they're "Dude, where what are you doing?" nothing. nothing. nothing. I can tell you. So, so I know you ended up at Liberty University. So, how did that transition take place? And like you ended up going to a different college and whatnot. Yeah. So, I pulled myself out from Longwood after that. were you losing the scholarship because of No, I actually I they said, "Look, like we can red shirt freshman. You we can give you this year back, make you a red shirt freshman." And or red shirt you. And then and I was like [sighs and gasps] I was just so I don't know what I want at that point. I felt like I was starting to burn out. There was a lot of things running through my mind and I was like man maybe I just need a re restart cuz the coaches staff and all that which I won't get deep into but I just felt like I needed to be somewhere else. And so I went home for a semester and I and my parents and we were talking like man I don't what are you going to what are you going to do here at the house? sit around. So, I went from being a D1 soccer player to a community college kid, and that hurt me. that hurt my pride. and I went into Nova Community College for a semester. did actually really well in community college, but when I was home, I didn't have the practice. I didn't have any of that D1 atmosphere, practices, games, all that stuff. So, I was "What am I going to do now?" And wasn't really even hitting the gym anymore. And that was the first time cocaine got introduced into my life was in that home Oldtown Manasses. It was like 5 minutes from my home. was out there one weekend and would see people, close friends, go to the bathroom, absolutely staggering. staggering. staggering. And then they'd walk back from the bathroom just being like ready to go, rock and roll. And then I was "What is that? How does that like what just happened?" And then, pull me to the side, say, "Hey, look, this is what it is. You just take a couple bumps of this, you'll be good." Sure enough, that was all it took. So then after that semester at home rolled into applying for well, I applied for places when I was at home that much. Liberty, I got accepted to Liberty. so the next semester I went to Liberty and COVID that was during the co that was my first semester there. I was there two months. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At Liberty and then they sent us home. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right after I got settled in. And I was this was the key part which is I was I ended up coming back to Liberty, but I was clean for 2 years at Liberty. I would drink occasionally right there, but something was just stopped my cocaine use for years. This was like I went they sent us home and then when I came back to Liberty after they reopened Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. with all the protocols of all that stuff with wearing a mask and all that. But I was like I'm not going to bring these drugs with me. I'm going to Liberty. I'm going to make the most of it. and I had no supplier guy down at Liberty. I didn't want to look for one. I didn't even try. And I was "Okay, this is a start of something good." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. so yeah, I finished my career. I got a bachelor's degree, criminal justice, homeland security, and the minor, was homeland security. And so I graduate or graduated from Liberty. I was "All right, [clears throat] I got the degree. I'm going to go get a job now. Going to this where the real world starts." And so let's talk about the the turning point. So, right, you held it together while you were at Liberty, ended up getting your degree. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. But then obviously something happened in there, right, that caused you to go back into it and ultimately mushroom to the point, right, that you needed to come to TC. So, what transpired there? I know you were working and whatnot. And exactly. Yes. How did that, get back to that point? So, right after I graduated, I came home and had a good job opportunity come into play as an area manager position. And the stress with that job, the guy is more bluecollar. and I would just see him drinking after work and all these. And then I was still drinking. Not I drinking was never like I would drink black out. I wouldn't get to that point. I would just drink and stuff. But I still wasn't back into cocaine yet. So then one day I saw one of the it got reintroduced. I won't get into the det but it got reintroduced again and the stress of that job and everything. I was "Yeah, I could blame it on this, blame it." But it was my choice. And I said, "All right, sure." And we would have to push snow all night some nights and they call us in at 11:00. and it's like you're going to be up all night. It's like all right, this is an easy Yeah. I'll [clears throat] do a I'll get back into the bag. And yeah, so then it all just started going over and that's how I got reintroduced very shortly after I graduated college. And so take me into the week before your mom called to get you here. What happened to that point to get her on the phone? Yeah. So there was a few a couple things leading up to that point was [snorts] one night I well one afternoon I went out fishing. and I had everything ready to go, my kayak, poles, everything. I went out to my honey hole. which I'm not going to share on here. This [snorts] is my honey hole. and I was by myself and so I was by myself and I was "All right, I'm going just do my thing." Typical, but I was back involved with drugs and drink. This was full blown. And I had a little bag of cocaine and then I had some drinks and went out there on the water. was Wendy Choppy and was paddling around and my kayak's not like those ones you've seen nowadays at Cabelas or Dick Sporting Goods. It's just this little tiny thing. And so I ended up flipping my boat, having to swim all the way. I was like in the middle of the water like where which side should I swim to? Like try to Yeah. Like in a panic and I was like holy. And I literally just "All right." So, I try to grab my phone, keys, everything's sinking as I'm trying to like flip my boat over. I'm "what?" So, I leave and I'm just start swimming and I'm "Okay, this is probably a shorter distance." So, I start going left. That was the opposite side of where my truck was and on the shore or on the road. I pulled off and I was "Okay." I wasn't even thinking like swim towards. So, So, So, I get to the shore exhausted. I'm man, this what do I do now? No keys, no phone. phone. phone. this is a spot where it's not like a bunch of there's there was nobody out on the water. It was not It was just me. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I was man, and I was too ashamed because I knew what state I was in. I was too ashamed to go and try to flag somebody down, ask for help. help. help. I could have if I wanted to. So, what I did? I grabbed some like things that I could and just slept in the woods. there were a couple things that I was able to I had a bag and I did grab a bag and swam. It was soaking wet, but I had stuff in there. So, I used the bag to prop as a pillow. I slept in the woods all night long. So interesting what shame will do to us, and the situations that it puts us in. And the missing person's report was filed that night because I never came home. home. home. Wow. Wow. Wow. So, so then that so that was what happened the week prior. So you ended up coming, right, and getting here? So walking through the doors of SVTC, what was the hardest adjustment day one? Yeah. walking into a program. The hardest adjustment for me [sighs] as soon as I got walked through the doors, it hit me again like I kept telling I'd never go to a rehab. I never would let myself get to that point. So, it was more or less trying accepting the fact I was really here and I was in a Christ Center in a recovery program. And it's it just as soon as I walked through there, I remember standing outside those doors, my seeing my parents drive off and I just stood outside for a little bit, like letting it all sink in. And took a deep breath, walked through the doors. I was "All right, God. I'm here. Let's do this thing." And yeah. [snorts] So, let's talk about that. like the journey to come in, starting to get into your word again and all that like Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. is there a moment early on where like the word started to come alive to you personally like what did that process look like? Yeah, settling in was hard the first month. I had this own personal time date that I was saying all right a month I know they're going to be coming and checking in me after a month and if I'm doing good I can. So that all that happened and I was it didn't go the way I wanted it to go, right? right? right? instead of being throwing a pity party and whatever and oh now I have to stay the full time to, and I was feeling like I was doing good, but there was something out there. and it had to have been the Holy Spirit. It had been God saying, "Look, you're not ready yet. That stay. I have more for you here." Yeah. And it took me a little bit to understand that, hey, you need to stay and finish this thing out. Was that a transformative shifting moment for you where your plan got co-opted by the Lord or by your family or whatever, however you want to put it, right? And God spoke to you through that. Yeah. I truly believe that I was about to walk out the doors after the after that month and had the meeting and talk with my parents and staff and it didn't go the way I wanted it to. And so then I was like I was pretty soured on the whole thing for a while. I was and it took me a I was what the change was I was laying in bed and I was like that night I was what? Here we are again. Shane, you need to make the most of this. Don't be sour about the thing. And I was having that thing like still in my head "No, I'm going to pull myself out." And then there was like God trying to say, "No, stay." And I was like thinking I knew. But my whole life I was leaning on my own understanding. I wasn't leaning on. And it's hard to hear that sometimes that voice that's "No, stay. I still have more for you here." And I [snorts] felt like I was How did that shift happen? Right. cuz you're you're a competent person. D1 athlete, went and finished college, and all that stuff. Had a decent job prior to coming. How like what did the Lord speak to you to get you to shift from that place of self-confidence to godly confidence, right? A little bit of humility mixed in there, trusting that God's plan for you, ? What was that shift like for you? you? you? Yeah. So, there was a verse that I read, I wrote it down. it's Titus 3:3 and it says, "At one time we were too foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another." and then it goes on to say, "But when the kindness of the love of our God," and this is the key, "When the kindness of the love of our God, our savior, appeared, he saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." For me, I we do our devotions here, as . and I would and I was doing my devotionals and I just found myself just reading through more and more of the New Testament and even some of the Old and I was just on this little Bible binge and I came across Titus. Yeah, absolutely. And I came through this to Titus 3:3 and I was not familiar with Titus at all. I was just thought it was a funny name in the [snorts] in the and but I read that and I was like and I truly believed God speaks to you through scripture. Like people will talk about the encount they hear they can hear him say things and their in their dreams or whatever. For me, I hear it all the time through scriptures like jumps out of me. I'm "All right, that's God speaking to me right now. Right here, right now." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that was a big change for me cuz the scripture and me diving more into his word really and it wasn't like people be "Oh, well, we're forced to do our devotions. We're forced to do this class work stuff." But when I opened my heart and my mind to it and let it actually come into me and take it to heart, that's when I started "Okay, I am here for a reason. There's something here that I that I'm about to figure out why like God's going to reveal it to me. I truly believe that and he started to. Yeah. So, let's talk about that. You said your relationship with Jesus prior to Teen Challenge was, ancillary, right? Connected to your parents. You on you went to church with them, Christian family, whatnot. And so then you come here, you start digging into the word on your own. Have this rock bottom shamefilled moment that drives you to TC. So what changed about your relationship with Christ? Cuz you you knew him coming in, right? it wasn't like you were atheist or anti- good, good, good, but just the personal relationship was lacking. What shifted there? So really what shifted was is just having a better understanding of it. I never really got it. I never really grasp the con. It was hard for me to understand how the Holy Spirit is here like he's he's all around us. I didn't I was how was that? It was almost like I didn't do my back work in in my own faith. I never really put in a lot of time. And when I started doing that, yeah, yeah, yeah, like and being to the point where now I'm man, I'm flipping I'm like seeing what's next in the Bible, I'm wow, this is, Romans, Romans is amazing. Yeah. I just And I just had this fire again. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. when you go to like the Young Life camps as like kids and I and then you come home from the Young Life camp and you have this fire about you and it lasts for a week. This has been lasted for two months now. After that first month, this has been a two-month and I'm I pray to God this carries through and I'm going to keep putting on the armor of God and the word to carry it through. But that fire got lit. What do you see as the biggest potential impediments from keeping that fire going, next week when you're home? Exact. Yeah. Yeah, that's a great question. I The thing is every morning when I was drinking and drugging, I remember the days I didn't read my devotionals. I remember those days. I'm not saying that's the problem solver, but for me is staying rooted in the word and doing everything I can to hey, set a time set time in the morning. I'm going to do 15 minutes of devotionals and just being in the word instead of being so quick to go to work, so quick to this. And I think that was a big thing for me. And I need to stay deeply rooted. just like it's been a good cycle here. It's trained us. Wake up devotionals, breakfast. I didn't have a good system going when I was home. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Carrying what we've learned here out there into the real world. When I walk out the doors, that's really when it starts when I walk out those doors. Right. This has been the this has been like a training ground for me for the battle. Right. So, so that's that's the first thing in the morning. Got to dive in. some people might be foggy in the morning, whatever. I have the Bible app on my phone. Say it's a rough morning. I'm running late. I can play that Bible app, Bluetooth, and the truck and the ride to work, . So, I need to make that a priority. We talk about that a lot. the word is alive, right? And I think a lot of people don't realize that. give us this day our daily bread, right? And the word being sustenance for our life. And so many times, you're right. I think we struggle to hear God's voice because we don't read what's on paper. And it's it's so simple, but yet it's difficult, right, to maintain. And I think that's a huge challenge. challenge. challenge. So, let me ask you about your family relationships and cuz you've got a lot of support around you. Amen. have you noticed any changes in those relationships over the last 60 days or so? Like Yeah, I have. sometime it's got a little emotional talk about seeing I [snorts] they and I if I was to name all of them, we'd be here forever. But to see the support and the love that they have for me when I was at my worst to showing up here every week almost every chapel night which is open to the public and just the constant love that they just keep pouring into me knowing like they need healing themselves from all the trauma and hurt I put them through. through. through. And they and I was man, I but they still keep coming to my side. Yeah. all like and to feel that they come here and they just show me and sit next to me and just are just so involved and want to just see their son, see their nephew, see their friend the one better and healed is that says it all to me, just to constantly see that love that and you they would say it so much when I was home and stuff. Man, we love you. Just want your B. I'm okay. Yeah, but you don't really know how much until you're down and out pretty much or at your worst. And I felt like I was down and out. And my family has quite literally been by my side from start to finish through this whole process. So, let me ask you one final question to wrap things up. it's been a good conversation, man. Thank you for sharing and absolutely and going into your story and whatnot. And so, if you had to give one piece of advice to somebody who was where you were at that week, let's rewind that week before you got on the kayak, and that mental state that you were in. And you're you're talking to a Shane that's in that position, right? What are you saying to him? [snorts] [snorts] [snorts] [sighs] [sighs] [sighs] [gasps] [gasps] [gasps] I'm saying you need to let go. You need to surrender it, man. Let go. Stop trying to do it yourself. That was told to me some, but I was like stubborn, man. I was stubborn and 26 years old, I thought I had stuff figured out and I thought I could figure it out for myself. I've done that time and time again with work things and sports and stuff. And this was a battle that I couldn't defeat on my own. This was not something I was going to defeat on my own. I needed to surrender it all to God and say, "Look, I'm laying it down at your feet, man. I'm I'm tired. I'm done. I can't I'm I'm killing my body. I'm killing my mind. I'm I'm destroying the relationships in my life. There's soon going to be nothing." that's that's what I tell myself. because as soon as I did that, 3 months later, I've been clean at 3 months. I graduate tomorrow. I've never felt better. I never been more mentally clear. I've never been so strong in my word. I've never been It's all these things are like the puzzle's coming together. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it feels great, man. And Yeah. But that's what I'd say. And your family, what do you say to them now? Not back then, but right now, man, what as in like what would I tell them? Yeah. You're going to see them tomorrow, but just for the benefit of our audience, man, the people that are listening, yeah, yeah, yeah, what do you say to your family now, 90 days later after all they've walked through and being where you're at? Yeah. I'd tell them that I love them and I tell them I'm thankful for them and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be where I'm at right now. I wouldn't. And I owe it all to them. And I when I see them tomorrow and be hugging and crying and celebrating, all these emotions are going to be going crazy. And they just man I words can't even describe what I sometimes I don't even say it's it's hard cuz I can say I love you and thank you to close friends but sometimes when I look face to face with my parents I sometimes stall out with how thankful and how loving I should be to them because I know how much hurt I've caused them and I wouldn't even be able to get it out. I'd just start breaking down. So, it's it would be I love you guys and I'm thankful for y'all and blessed to be y'all's son. And I couldn't quite literally never repay you guys. And I hope to be [sighs and gasps] just like y'all one day and show hopefully my future family the support you guys have shown me. And that's good. They just, man, they're Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, it's encouraging [clears throat] to hear that, especially for the family members that may be listening that have loved ones that are caught up, and being able to like have that hope and just know that God can do a work. Hey, thanks so much for watching this video. If you enjoyed it, please hit the like button, subscribe to the channel, leave us a comment. If you'd like to catch another testimony or another one of our videos, you can do so by clicking here.