I read a lot of addiction stories. Not just about people who struggle with alcoholism, but also about those who have broken or are trying to sever ties with the likes of prescription painkillers, cocaine, heroin, even nicotine. Those who get clean and those who don’t. They help me stay focused on my own recovery. They give me strength. They make me cry. They remind me why I stopped drinking. They renew my gratitude for sobriety.

This week, the Hartford Courant ran a five-part series called “Portraits of Addiction.” Each day, the newspaper has published a story about a person or a family touched scarred by heroin.

Today’s story really touched me — a guy 10 years younger than I who grew up in the town where I live and now works in the town where I grew up. Small world.

I love how Matt Eacott is giving back, paying it forward, using his experience to help others. The other stories in the series don’t have the same happy ending. We need more people like Matt Eacott.