On March 7, 23-year-old Justin Alesna went into a Detroit gas station to buy cigarettes. He left, instead, with a fractured skull—thanks to a hateful, gay-bashing stranger. Justin begged for help. Nobody listened. Here, he tells his story.

The very public struggles with substance abuse of the rich and famous make addiction seem like a problem of excess suffered by the affluent. But what if the woman struggling with substance abuse is right in front of you?