Phil Andrade, who performs music under the artist name “Wildcard,” is using his recovery from drug addiction to inspire others through his recent song release. His latest track, titled “The December Shelter,” draws directly from his experiences working at TRAC the Trent Shelter and the Hive in Downtown Spokane. According to Phil, the song is “based and inspired by the social workers and the people that suffer in the homeless community and the mental health and drug epidemic.”
Phil began using harder substances around age 15, starting with meth, and was introduced to recovery at age 18. He experienced two relapses and reported experiencing psychosis when using drugs, with his mental health constantly at risk. A turning point came in November 2015 when his home girl Kim Vezina died from an overdose, and her body was found in Coeur d’Alene Lake. Phil described a haunting experience as he worked toward sobriety, saying he would “see her ghost in the back of my car yelling at me that I needed to change my life.”
Finding Support and Staying Clean
Phil now works in a drug and alcohol treatment center because he understands how difficult it is to get clean and maintain sobriety. He emphasizes the importance of community and professional support, telling others struggling with addiction: “Just know that you’re not alone, and know that there is help and there is nothing wrong with you. You are worthy of living, and there’s other people that are clean and sober that want to welcome you in with the different recovery programs you can go to.”
He continues to participate in recovery meetings, work with a sponsor, and complete the steps—resources that, he says, “really helped me in the long term.” Phil acknowledges that the path to sobriety is ongoing and requires sustained effort. “As an addict, I couldn’t even stop even when I wanted to,” he said. The music video for “The December Shelter” was recently shot in Spokane, and the song is now available on music streaming platforms.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.khq.com/news/recovering-drug-addict-inspires-others-to-break-the-cycle/article_beb8480d-ddf1-488c-b392-c11dbbf58e41.html