By Douglas Buell

dbuell@arlingtontimes.com

ARLINGTON – On former BMX phenom Tony Hoffman’s best days, the gifted athlete was the No. 1-ranked amateur off-road cyclist in his senior year in high school, serving as a BMX coach at the Olympic Games in Rio, and staying active to keep his childhood anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues in check.

On his lowest, he was staring at the ceiling in his prison cell, shooting up heroin with gutter water in a dirty syringe, and saying goodbye to another friend who overdosed in the presumed safety of his own parents’ home.

“If you’re here today, I’m so grateful because you’re being proactive,” said Hoffman, who shared his inspirational story of overcoming drug addition at a community presentation Thursday night hosted by the Arlington Drug Awareness Coalition at the Byrnes Performing Arts Center.

With more than a decade of sobriety, Hoffman is no stranger to what it takes to get sober. He hoped his story would help attendees gain a better perspective of how a person’s life can take a turn for the worse in the downhill spiral of addiction.

Hoffman’s BMX career began in high school in Clovis, Calif., when he became the top-ranked BMX amateur, with major endorsements from Fox Racing, Airwalk Shoes and Spy Sunglasses.

In his senior year, he started going to parties, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana, which started as a weekends-only activity, then increased to every day. Hoffman moved on to cocaine, downers and painkillers such as Oxycontin and Vicodin after they were prescribed to numb the pain for having wisdom teeth removed.

He was hooked. The pills created a dependency that opened the door to addiction.

“There’s a doorway that exists – once you step in – you can’t walk back out just because you’re done,” Hoffman said.

In 2004, to support his drug habit and beat back withdrawal symptoms, he and some friends committed a home invasion armed robbery, breaking into a best friend’s mom’s house and stealing her Oxycontin.

He was homeless for six months after being kicked out of his parents’ house before ultimately being sent to prison in 2007 for two years.

Before leaving prison in December 2008, he had a spiritual awakening, and in a moment of clarity connected the dots that habit becomes your character, and your character becomes your destiny. Using this blueprint, he put together a plan for where his life was headed and started with routine habits like brushing his teeth and making his bed.

“In that prison cell, I told myself, ‘You don’t belong here,’” Hoffman said.

From there, he became ranked No. 2 in Masters Pro Class and a BMX coach at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, much to the dismay of doubting jailers and parole officers. Hoffman also became founder and director of The Freewheel Project, a nonprofit organization that mentors thousands of youth through action sports – BMX, skateboarding and after-school programs. The organization teaches kids leadership skills, and to make healthy life choices, including substance abuse prevention. He also published his first book titled, “Coming Clean.”

Heroin and opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in north Snohomish County and nationwide. Hoffman has seen worse though. He travels the country to share his story mainly in the Midwestt and East Coast, where the opioid epidemic is ravaging communities. Dayton, Ohio, where he speaks is losing three people a day, and 11 people die each day in the state from drug overdoses. Heroin there is being cut with Fentanyl, a synthetic drug 1,000 times more lethal than heroin, and a contributor to the high mortality rates. It is inching its way to the West Coast and Pacific Northwest, Hoffman said.

Kaylee Sparks of Arlington said Hoffman’s presentation was enlightening, and it was eye-opening getting a no-holds-barred account from a recovering addict. “I hope more people in our community get to hear his message in the future,” she said.

ACAD is a partnership of Arlington Public Schools, police and community members committed to help fight opioid addiction and support those who are addicted. For more go to www.facebook.com/arlingtonaware.