I'm Ben Cahoon, founder and CEO of New Horizons Tech Recovery, a nonprofit focused on investing in people when they need it most. Starting this organization has been a long-time goal rooted in personal experience—because this mission is more than professional for me. It’s personal.

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From a young age, I struggled with substance abuse and addiction. Despite growing up in a supportive family, attending a college preparatory high school, playing sports, and having every opportunity ahead of me, I developed dependencies during my teenage years. I was prescribed a high dose of Adderall for ADHD, and I started to believe I needed something outside of myself just to feel “normal.”

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After high school, things spiraled quickly. I graduated at 18. By 19, I was a full-blown heroin IV user. My personality has always been “all or nothing,” and addiction consumed me fast. I spent my 21st birthday in rehab at Ridgeview in Smyrna, GA. I relapsed just days after transitioning to a halfway house and found myself back at Ridgeview for another round. Eventually, I moved into Hope Homes—another supportive three-quarter residence—and though I made progress, I was asked to leave after a few months for using again and breaking curfew.

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That led to three years of wandering—couch surfing, staying in my car, skipping meals, and feeling utterly lost. But slowly, things began to shift. I cut out the hard drugs, though I held on tightly to alcohol. I reconnected with my high school sweetheart, now my wife of nearly 10 years. I went back to school and earned both my associate's and bachelor's degrees in IT. I found a passion in tech that gave me hope and purpose. But even with this new life, I was still drinking every night to sleep, to forget, to survive.

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For six years, I believed I had made it—on the outside. Inside, I was still broken. The drinking worsened. I was hiding it from my family, drinking until sunrise, and living with shame and guilt for surviving when close friends had not. I believed that maybe this was the life I deserved. That maybe one day, I'd control the ending—with a bottle in my hand.

Then came the moment that changed everything: a final ultimatum. It was alcohol or my family.

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That was the day I chose to get sober. Truly sober. And the moment I did, everything began to change. My family life improved greatly, with a clear mind I was able to become the husband and father that my family deserves. My career exploded. Today, I manage a team of Site Reliability Engineers supporting NASA’s only Kubernetes-centric Platform as a Service.

 

But I know I didn’t do it alone. I had support—emotionally, spiritually, and financially. And that’s the difference I want to make.

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New Horizons Tech Recovery exists because I know what it’s like to have nothing and still want to fight. I know what it’s like to need help, to need purpose, to need a shot at a better life. I want to invest in people the way others invested in me—especially those without a support system. Whether you're struggling with addiction or rebuilding after recovery, I want you to know:

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I believe in you. And I’m here to help.