The tattooed images covering Todd Crandell’s arms serve as a timeline, displaying to the world specific dates and people he holds dear to his heart.

After 13 years of drug and alcohol addiction, the most important date he wears is April 15, 1993 – the day he became sober.

“God made the decision, and it was like a light switch went off in my head,” said Crandell.  “I realized that I wanted it for myself.”

The road to sobriety was long and painful for Crandell, and he left no detail of his journey untouched when he spoke to a full crowd Friday at Loeb Playhouse. 

Crandell is the founder and executive director of Racing for Recovery, a non-profit organization dealing with alcohol and drug abuse awareness that is based in his hometown of Sylvania, Ohio.  He travels to schools and organizations all over the nation and tells the tale of his own road to destruction dealing with alcohol and drugs.

The crowd of all ages listened intently as Crandell spoke of how his family history of drug abuse led to his mother’s suicide when he was just a child.  At the height of his drug addiction, Crandell was consuming a constant intake of pills, cocaine and alcohol from the time he woke up in the morning until he went to bed at night. 

At one point, Crandell said, he found himself reaching through his own vomit in the toilet to re-consume the pills that his body was so desperately trying to get rid of. 

Eventually this vicious cycle led to thoughts of suicide, and Crandell said he began to believe that “taking my own life was my only way out.”

After struggling with these thoughts for all of adolescence and into his young adult life, the “light switch” finally hit Crandell in 1993, and he founded Racing for Recovery soon thereafter. 

Crandell and his message of drug and alcohol abuse awareness were brought to Purdue after Denton Sederquist, residential life manager at Wiley Hall, learned of the program and the impact it has had on young adults struggling with addiction.

“This is the first time we’ve brought in a national speaker,” said Sederquist.  “Todd has made it his mission in life to make people aware of the dangers of drugs and alcohol.”

Sederquist invited Crandell to speak during Red Ribbon Week at Purdue, which is a week dedicated to those who are struggling with drug and alcohol addiction as well as those who have overcome it. 

One way Crandell celebrates his own victory is by training and participating in the Ironman Triathlons, which consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon run.

Crandell uses his experiences with triathlons to prove that there are many positive alternatives to a lifestyle of drug and alcohol abuse.  Dedication to training for triathlons parallels that of fighting an addiction, he said.  It requires the will to succeed.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but so is life, and if you work hard enough at something, you’ll get it,” said Crandell.

Crandell incorporated this message into a 5k run/walk event held Saturday at Purdue following the speech.  Joshua Alexander, a resident assistant at Wiley Hall and a senior in the school of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was impressed by Crandell’s experience and planned to participate in the run after attending the speech.

“Probably all too often the little things are overlooked when dealing with drug and alcohol addiction,” said Alexander.  “This event could have a tremendous impact on so many people.”

Crandell believes that the impact he has made on people’s lives is well worth the effort and time he devotes to the awareness of drug and alcohol addiction.

“This is my job, my passion,” said Crandell.  “I want to let people know that with sobriety, anything is possible.”

For more information on Todd Crandell and Racing for Recovery, visit the website at www.racingforrecovery.com, or email Crandell at Racing4Recovery@aol.com.