EXPERIENCE his life. He and his first wife had met a The transition from the military was a and paired with the difficulty of transifew months before his deployment and tough one for Wolf. He spent several tioning from a community college to a their relationship moved in fast forward. months devising a plan and in 2014 he university, it caused even more stress. Nearly right after returning from de- chose to pursue college at Klamath Again, the shadow of alcohol began ployment, the couple married and had a Community College, as he had done to rise. In November 2015, he met the daughter together. Together they drank ten years earlier. He began to excel, breaking point with an angry outburst, regularly and would often argue in re- but was still left searching for a career resulting in his girlfriend—who had recently become his fiancé—leaving him. sult. Wolf mentioned the toxic situation, path to follow. even culminating to unhealthy interactions between him and his wife. The pair “My old wrestling coach and I were out The next couple of months went by went through a brief relief of this hard- waterfowl hunting together and he slowly. This was the turning point for ship for about six months after their was asking me some questions,” Wolf Wolf. He was forced to come face to daughter’s birth, but soon fell back into said, “He was always a good mentor face with the alcoholism that had folthe harmful cycle. He noted the guilt in my life. He’s like, ‘What do you want lowed him for more than a decade. He he still feels about the situation, but to do? What’s your plan with this go- could choose alcohol or the girl he also the importance of needing to look ing to college thing?’ And I said, ‘I don’t hoped to marry. Wolf took a look in towards the future. “I can’t change the know, I’m just going to get my Associ- the mirror and asked himself if he was past. All I can do is live in the present ates of Arts Oregon Transfer, but right where he wanted to be. He sat down and change my future, and I think that’s now, I don’t really have a plan.’ And he and made a list of the positives and the path I’ve decided to take,” said Wolf. said, ‘you might want to figure that out negatives that alcohol had brought sooner or later.’ So I thought about it, into his life, and quickly realized the Wolf’s young home life has played a key and in the next couple months I asked negative after negative the substance role in his struggles. His father was an a lot of questions about his time as a fueled. The couple took it step-by-step alcoholic, his mother was a drug ad- health and P.E. teacher, and coaching as he made changes. He completely quit dict—though clean for several decades football, and what he enjoyed about it, drinking. He previously used smokeless now—and his grandfather was killed in and what he didn’t enjoy about it. And tobacco, which he completely quit as a drunk driving accident. Wolf’s father that’s when I decided that I wanted to well. Today Wolf is now 17 months sober. was not very involved in his life, caus- teach health and P.E. and coach.” Thinking back, Wolf’s alcohol problem ing him to want to be a better father to his daughter, Hayley, who turned four With a major in kinesiology, Wolf had took many years in the making for him in February. “I want to be a good fa- the choice of attending OSU or West- to realize the issues he was truly battling. ther,” he said, “My real father wasn’t the ern Oregon University. He visited OSU The constant shadow of the addiction best when I was a kid, he wasn’t really four times before making his decision. followed him in each stage of his life. “I around. I don’t want that. I think it’s les- “I liked the environment, I loved the think I made a lot of excuses for a lot of sons learned...I don’t want that for my campus. I think it’s beautiful,” said Wolf. years about alcoholism,” Wolf admitted, daughter. I always want to be there for At the end of spring term in 2015, he “For me, losing someone who was so imher. I always want to be a positive influ- was accepted and planned to transfer portant to me...I wasn’t willing to do that ence in her life.” However, Wolf only has to OSU. He was in a relationship with based off of my drinking….It took that visitation rights as of now; his ex-wife a woman living roughly 75 miles away kind of impact on my life.” Even with ten has full custody of their daughter. He from him at the time and becoming months of responsible drinking leading understands that this is a consequence somewhat serious, the two decided to up to the outburst, one month of irreof previous behaviors, due to alcohol. move in together. The couple moved to sponsible drinking nearly cost him everything. “Do some self-reflection and realHowever, Wolf is still determined to Corvallis in September 2015. ize what is good in your life,” said Wolf, make strides to become more involved The weekend they were moving up, “Sometimes people lie to themselves and in his daughter’s life. Wolf was in a motorcycle accident I was one of those people. I lied to mythat resulted in a fractured kneecap. self for a decade—if not longer. It was a This began to cause conflict physically rough road...but I realized I didn’t want to lose what I had.”
SPRING 2017 // 17