Transformational coach and local author, Shawn Casey, debuts his memoir ‘Gift of Addiction: When Hitting Rock Bottom Awakens Your Soul.' His memoir reframes substance abuse not just as a tragedy but as a catalyst for personal awakening. His story will engage KNKX audiences as an empathy-driven interview that de-stigmatizes drug addiction and offers hope for recovery. Moreover, he can discuss the specific problem and impact of our regional opioid crisis, and how his program “Gift of Addiction” has helped addicts recover. He has firsthand personal experience with multiple addictions and recovery. His raw, engaging, deeply human memoir covers the gritty realities of personal substance abuse, as well as a compassionate roadmap to recovery. Plus, his recovery program, “Gift of Addiction” is available regionally to help those addicted and the families and friends who love them.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Information: Shawn Casey
Tel: 425-785-8790
GiftofAddiction@gmail.com
Release Date: 06/3/2026

'GIFT OF ADDICTION: When Hitting Rock Bottom Awakens Your Soul’ Offers a New Perspective
BELLEVUE, Wash. – Local author, professional keynote speaker, and transformation coach Shawn Casey announces publication of his provocative debut memoir, 'GIFT OF ADDICTION: When Hitting Rock-Bottom Awakens Your Soul'.

Most people would call addiction a curse, so why does the author call it a gift? On Saturday, June 27th, 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM at The Bellevue Towers, 500 106th Avenue NE, North Tower, Bellevue, the press and public is invited to a reception to meet the author and learn the answer to that question and more.

Spanning the wild streets of Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s, the glittering chaos of West Hollywood in the 1980s, and the healing landscapes of Maui and Sedona in the 1990s, Shawn Casey’s raw and inspiring story reveals his journey from darkness to awakening – and the passion that led him to coaching others. From street junkies to Hollywood elites, he lived a life on the edge - addicted to drugs, selling his body for sex, competing as a bodybuilder, and starring in adult films. His story is a path through these addictions to success as a local transformational coach and personalized gym owner.

Hundreds of millions of people in the world suffer from addictions of all kinds, not just drugs and alcohol. In fact, Washington and Oregon report some of the highest opioid overdose deaths in the country. A study released by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime noted that about a quarter of a billion people worldwide have abused drugs. Of those, 36 million were addicted, and that does not even consider the number of people addicted to alcohol, binge eating, overspending, social media, sex, shopping, self-harm, gaming, and any obsession that negatively impacts their overall health and happiness. Addiction is something that gives instant pleasure to escape pain, but at a cost to life.

And while it's true that books about family dysfunction, abuse, sexual addiction, and the ways people cope with trauma in their lives are rife, Shawn Casey’s memoir, 'GIFT OF ADDICTION: When Hitting Rock-Bottom Awakens Your Soul' stands out. His book combines all of these. The many forms of dysfunction Shawn experienced alone make this book and his life story surprising. He’s lived the equivalent of multiple lifetimes and had multiple careers and multiple addictions over the course of his sixty years – and he’s come through them with a deep understanding of how to guide others to overcome the shame and trauma that led to their addictions and how to find their self-worth.
But Shawn’s story is also more than just about recovery. It is a guide for transformation.

In ‘GIFT OF ADDICTION: When Hitting Rock Bottom Awakens Your Soul’, Shawn helps readers understand their cycles of addiction and trauma more clearly and how to break them. Through Shawn’s hard-won lessons, spiritual insights, and transformational framework – The Five Pillars, Seven Daily Disciplines, and Twelve Principles – they find a roadmap to rise from their lowest point, reclaim their lives, and embrace wholeness, self-love, and freedom from shame and trauma. Shawn’s program brings hope to those suffering addiction and the friends, family, and larger community who care about them.

(‘GIFT OF ADDICTION: When Hitting Rock-Bottom Awakens Your Soul’ is available through online retailers Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powells, Bookscape, and eBay, and at www.giftofaddiction.com.)