This Kid Saved My LifeThis Kid Saved My Life
Addict II Athlete Podcast
Brandon Helmick shares how a surprise call about an abandoned newborn son pushed him from addiction and living in his car to four years clean and full custody. The conversation highlights single fatherhood, support from family, and the long, patient work of rebuilding life in recovery.
53:35•14 Feb 2022
This Kid Saved My Life: A Dad’s Journey from Addiction to Full Custody
Episode Overview
- Showing up for a child, even in the chaos of active addiction, can become the turning point for long-term sobriety.
- Doing everything children’s services require and giving them no reason to say no is key to regaining or gaining custody.
- Patience is essential in recovery; the consequences of years of using, like debts and garnishments, can surface long after getting clean.
- Leaning on trustworthy family or support networks can make single parenting and recovery more sustainable.
- Choosing not to bad‑mouth an absent or addicted co‑parent protects the child and helps break cycles of resentment and trauma.
“The reward is bigger than a high. A high will last an hour. This is forever.”
Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how addiction collides with parenthood and responsibility. This conversation between coach and therapist Blu Robinson and guest Brandon Helmick centres on one powerful turning point: a phone call from a hospital and a newborn boy left without a name. Brandon shares how, at the time, he was living in his car, using crack and heroin, and still doubting whether the baby was even his. Yet he chose to show up.
Standing beside his mum, he heard her say, “Brandon, that’s you,” as she recognised his face in the tiny child’s. The moment that really broke him comes when he recalls holding his son as the nurse said the baby was starting to withdraw and needed morphine. “For once I wasn’t hurting myself. I was hurting an innocent child who depended on me,” he explains.
From there, you’ll hear how he got clean without a 12‑step programme, did everything children’s services asked, and gained full custody. He talks honestly about single fatherhood, overnight shifts, leaning on his aunt for support, and the everyday graft of feeding, bathing and entertaining a little boy while staying sober. The episode also shines a light on complicated feelings towards his son’s mum.
Brandon admits he once held a lot of anger but now says he’s “just happy that she left him there” rather than risk something worse, and refuses to bad‑mouth her to his child. Instead, he focuses on breaking cycles of hurt, avoiding fear‑based parenting, and being patient with the long tail of consequences like old medical debts and wage garnishments.
At its heart, this is a story for anyone in recovery who feels overwhelmed by past damage and present responsibility, especially dads who wonder if they can step up. As Brandon puts it, “The reward is bigger than a high. A high will last an hour. This is forever.” If you’re a parent in recovery—or thinking about getting clean—what kind of legacy do you want your child to remember?
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