Nick battled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his adult life. Following a near-life-ending car accident at 19 and its subsequent multiple surgeries, Nick became addicted to Oxycontin for over three years. From then on, addiction came in many different forms and ultimately resulted in chemical dependence on alcohol and prescription anxiety medication. Nick struggled with asking for help because that seemed culturally foreign to him. Like Nick, many people consider asking for help a sign of weakness. Nick grew up in a Mexican-American family that glorified toughness with manhood. Nick played sports such as rugby and enjoyed rodeo, where pain and injuries are seen as badges of honor. Nick served eight years as a combat medic in the United States Army and was conditioned to endure anguish. However, with many resources surrounding him, Nick silently struggled, and few people were aware of his pain. It was the friends he made in the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) that helped him overcome his fear of judgment and understand his ignorance of what courage means. Nick shared the truth of his struggles with one friend at a time within IGRA and eventually realized that he had a rodeo family ready to help him with “lassoing his champion within.”

Thus, Nick decided to create Ropin’ Recovery.