About
About Me
Early Childhood
Growing up as a kid, I came from a small council estate in Kildare – a great little place but like every area, it had its own issues. Very early on in life I found myself being a member of my local GAA club. This was the start of a beautiful football journey that consisted of many successes. Football was my life, football done things for me that I never thought was possible, and was the core hobby that made me feel good about myself – it made me feel the connection I was longing for from a young age. Most importantly I had a dream, a dream to represent Kildare and play in Croke Park.
I always told myself that I would steer clear of drugs as I had experienced addiction in my family from a very young age, with alcohol being an unstoppable force that ruined my family’s bond. Very early on in life when my parents separated, with addiction playing a vital role in both of their lives, it had a huge effect on me. Growing up, addiction and dysfunction was the only life I had known. I felt like a part of me left the day my Dad did. I asked myself for most of my youth days many questions like ‘Who would come watch me play football?’, ‘What did I do to deserve this?’, ‘What would other kids think now that my dad didn’t live with me?’ and so on. I had so many unanswered questions as a kid that I tried to answer by myself. This leads me to the reason why football has played such an important role in my life. Once there was a football in my hand, it took all this away from me.
Drug Use
I picked up drugs for the first time when I was 17. I’ll never forget my first time, it was like falling in love with a woman. This is what I was searching for my whole life, that warm fuzzy feeling and that voice in my head to tell me for once ‘you’re alright’. Nothing led me to take drugs, it was out of pure curiosity one night out. But what kept me using drugs? The feeling it gave me every time I took them. You see, the drugs were doing for me what football and the gym done for me, X100. The feeling that I was good enough. Very quickly I became hooked on the feeling that dugs had given me, I latched onto it like a newborn with his soother. I couldn’t live with it, and I couldn’t live without it.
I was hospitalized for the first time when I had just turned 19, my addiction began to play a vital role in my relationships, tearing the love apart between me and every one of my friends and family. I was beginning to lose all the people who really cared about me. My addiction lasted only over 2 years; those 2 years felt like 10, done the damage of 20.
My Recovery
By the age of 19, after multiple hospital visits and a suicide attempt, I decided that I was done, that I needed help. I came into recovery at the same age, after a 5-month rehab program. Fast forward 5 years and I’ve still not had a day where I had a drink or took a drug. Getting sober was one thing, but living sober is another. I came out of rehab vulnerable, afraid, and nervous of what life had to offer. I only had one intention: to stay clean.
My journey in recovery consisted of many fellowship meetings and working through a 12-step process. As my recovery came along, I began to pick up vital tools that I continue to use to this day. Getting back into sport and attending the gym was the single most important thing I decided to do since getting clean – this has helped me stay discipline and accountable to myself, and has me showing up every day.
I bought myself a journal, which I decided to write in every day, twice a day. I came to realize if I’m going to go onto social media to look at other people’s lives, why don’t I start by documenting the most important person’s life, mine. Meditation and less time actively scrolling on my phone became very important ways for me to spend time connecting with myself and figuring out who Conor is and where Conor needs to be.
Being able to get sober has been the most beautiful experience of my life. It continues to shape me into the Conor I have always wanted to be and the guy I am trying to be every day. It has also given me a purpose – a purpose to help other people and bring them along on their sober journey. I never thought I would be where I am today, and it’s all because I put down the drink and drugs and picked up the manual to living.
Mission & Vision
My Mission
I began The Other Side of Life after I had been on RTE’s first ever series of ‘Davys Toughest Team’. The support I received after that show was amazing, but more importantly, the number of people who had reached out to me who had been in a similar position was absolutely mind blowing. That began my journey to speak to some GAA clubs about my experience with addiction and recovery.
Very quickly after my first talk, which was a huge success, I came up with the name ‘The Other Side of Life’. Why is it called this? We all talk about the traditional Irish life. 40-hour work week, school, college, sport and so on. What we don’t talk about is the other side to life. The addiction in the family home, the mental health, the struggles at work or study, separated parents, the list could go on. This is why I have created this movement. To normalize the conversation and to show people that you can get through the other side of life’s struggles, and you can come out of it, sober and free.
I want to bring hope to every room I walk into and deliver my story to. I am not here to save the world as it’s not a reality, but if one person leaves each room I step into with a little bit of hope or a little bit of courage to start this conversation, that’s my work done.
My Vision
I plan to give as many as these talks as possible. As many schools as I can get to in a calendar year. I have delivered over 50 of these talks already and I want this number to multiply. The effect it has had on these communities is greater than I could have ever imagined. My goal is to reach every school in Ireland, to employ other recovering drug addicts like myself to go on and do this with me. I am on this mission and I will not stop. Every single child deserves a chance regardless of who you are or where you’re from. I want to show people you can break the agenda of the typical Irish life and live a life beyond drink and drugs.
If you’d like to make a change and bring this conversation to your community, feel free to book an event with me. Together, we can make a difference.
