The ages between 13-16 were a tough time in my life. I was hanging out with a bad crowdâĶ I smoked enough weed to put Snoop Dogg to shame, I drank like a fish and saw the entire rainbow of criminal activity. Iâd constantly fight with my parents... To me, they were crazy for not letting me âlive my lifeâ. Thankfully, they fought back hard, and (metaphorically) slapped some sense into me. When I was 16, they sent me to a therapist that was part of an Irish organization that gave free therapy to kids with drug addictions. I was a stoner and these guys were used to dealing with fifteen year old's who were on heroinâĶ Not to brag, but I must have been a breath of fresh air for them. Each week I peed in a cup and talked to my therapist Shane about my feelings. Unsurprisingly, at the time, my feelings were overwhelmingly negative. I didnât see any purpose to life, I didnât see much reason to do anything. My philosophy was âfuck it, nothing mattersâ. A couple of weeks into my escapades with Shane, he started to ask me about my future, what I wanted out my life. I had no clue what I wantedâĶ I donât even remember how I responded. But I do remember what he said to me next. âLouis, is it crazy to think that if you found something to care about, youâd be able to enjoy your life a little bit more?â BoomâĶ That sentence hit me like a fucking train. I donât know if it was the sobriety, the plastic chair I was sat on or if God had just fondled me. But I had a serious moment of realization. Then and there, in that office, rowing became the most important thing in the world to me. Overnight, I pulled myself from that dark abyss and cut off all of my âfriendsâ. I stopped smoking, I quit the drink and I started eating more protein. Within 2 years I was training for the Irish team and racing overseas. You could say I got my shit together. What changed? How did I go from being a complete degenerate to an international athletic rockstar? (maybe an over exaggeration)