A Memoir of Addiction and Finding Fulfillment: Addict at 10 (Giveaway – 3 Winners!)

The following video tells the story of Derek Steele, who had his first sip of alcohol at age 8, smoked pot at 10, and was fully addicted to ecstasy, meth and cocaine by 16. As a parent, I can’t even imagine exposing my child to that kind of childhood. But Derek had the misfortune to be born into a family of addicts. His parents laughed as he sipped his first margaritas and got drunk for the first time at age 8. Derek’s first line of coke came straight from a stash found in his father’s briefcase. Dismissive and materialistic, his parents were absent for most of his childhood. To cope, Derek sold drugs in junior high, dropped out of high school and wound up behind bars. At age 20, he was homeless, unemployed and hiding from a vicious drug dealer who wanted him dead.

Watch this short video of his story. It’s hard to believe that the adorable boy in this video had this kind of childhood.

(Email subscribers may need to click on the title of this post to access the video on my blog.)

As the video shows, however, a miracle took place in 1993, when Derek resolved to change his life. In the middle of a drug deal, he walked away and told those he was dealing with, “You’ll never see me again.” With the support of a 12-step program, he found God, and left drugs and alcohol behind. Within a year he was a partner in a successful company. Work became his passion, and he continued to grow as an entrepreneur — eventually owning several successful companies. By the age of 35, he was a multimillionaire, married, and started a family.

This fascinating story is told in the new book, Addict at 10: How I Overcame Addiction, Poverty, and Homelessness to Become a Millionaire by 35. You can learn more about Derek Steele’s life and his incredible book at http://dereksteele.com/.

GIVEAWAY (3 winners!)

Three lucky readers of this blog will win a copy of Addict at 10! To enter, go to http://dereksteele.com and leave a comment here telling something you learned on the site. You must do this to enter the giveaway.

You can earn optional, additional entries by:

- Following me (@ParentingAuthor) and author Derek Steele (@derekrsteele) on Twitter and tweeting about this giveaway. You may tweet this giveaway up to twice a day. Leave a separate comment with the URL of each tweet. (It’s easy to tweet this giveaway by using the Bookmark button at the bottom of this post. 1 entry per tweet.)

- Subscribing to Susan Heim on Parenting via email and/or RSS feed (see sign-up options on left sidebar). Leave a comment for each subscription method. (1 entry for email; 1 entry for RSS feed)

- Following Susan Heim on Parenting through Google Friend Connect. Click on the “Follow” button on the left sidebar. Leave a comment. (1 entry)

- Putting a button for Susan Heim on Parenting on your blog (the code is in the upper right-hand column of this site) and/or a text link on your blog roll. Post a comment with your blog’s URL. (1 entry for button; 1 entry for text link)

- Posting this giveaway on your blog with a link to this page and http://dereksteele.com. Leave a comment with a direct link to the post. (3 entries; leave a separate comment for each)

Three winners will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Thursday, April 15, 2010, at midnight ET. Please leave an email address on one of your comments if it’s not available on your Blogger profile. Winners must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn. Open to U.S. residents only.

CONTEST CLOSED. Congratulations to the winners: Francine, Welcome to My World, and lilyk!





DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of this book after posting as a thank-you for my participation in hosting this giveaway. No other compensation was provided.