A sought-after national speaker, published author, and entrepreneur, Eric Spofford is truly a force in his own right. The founder and CEO of Spofford Enterprises, Eric is known for his specialization in venture capital, managing a nine-figure real estate portfolio, and coaching. But behind this trailblazing entrepreneur is a story of a boy chained to addiction for decades. However, Eric is not allowing his past to limit his present; instead, he uses it to live as an example to inspire others in their war against addiction.

Much like the people he is trying to help today, Eric has undergone all kinds of treatments, from detox programs to rehabs and sober houses. He also lived in the street, and his behavior was out of control. "I was an animal," he said. Eric was addicted to drugs and being hunted by the police everywhere he went, feeling defeated by the endless cycle he was trapped in. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, Eric tried to figure out what was absent in his home that led him to live life in anger, drowned in alcohol and drugs, from ecstasy to coke, ketamine, oxycontin and heroin.

"By the time I was 15 years old, I was addicted to heroin. I would say that was kind of the tipping point of my life, losing control of it. More importantly, I was losing the illusion of control of it. I don't know that I ever really had control, but at 15 to 16 years old, it was obvious that I was stuck in this addictive cycle. And at 15 years old, I dropped out of school. My world starts to get a lot smaller. Addiction starts to get a lot worse. I had become a drug addict." Eric shared.

The biggest turning point in his life came not when he was trying to fix himself in rehab but in meeting other recovered drug addicts who shared their stories. Connecing with others made him realize that he had a misconstrued understanding of what his problem actually was. Those encounters sparked a change inside him, leading him to work on his inner psyche, accessing a powerful force within him by addressing his core problems. This built the foundation of his recovery process, which is now changing countless lives.

"I was at this jumping-off point, which was this: I couldn't imagine my life without drugs and alcohol, but I also couldn't imagine my life continuing on that way. In those crossroads, it brought me to a place of complete surrender," Eric said. That point awakened his spirituality and bought him closer to God, and he discovered his purpose–sharing his life to unroot others from addiction.

Fifteen years into choosing to be sober, Eric shared that the road to recovery is a daily choice one should make to live fully. It doesn't end with the decision to quit, but it takes a lifetime of choosing to do the real inner work. Eric now uses his life as a blueprint to empower others, starting with their spirituality, mastering their mind, strengthening their body, and finally forgiving and freeing themselves from their broken past.

After overcoming his own demons, Eric made an incredible decision to build the first sober living house in New Hampshire. A decade later, the sober house became the largest addiction treatment facility in the Northeast, welcoming people from all walks of life. Having led the business from nothing to accomplishing exponential growth, Eric was recognized as Young Entrepreneur of the year in 2018. In 2021, the business was sold to a private equity-sponsored strategy and continued the entrepreneur's mission to help people overcome addiction and lead better lives.