Andrew Drasen Interview Published on: 16, Jul 2026

For a long time, I carried a lot of shame about my past. Addiction, incarceration, the mistakes I made, and the pain I caused. But as I got further into recovery, I realized that the things I was most ashamed of were often the things people connected with most. I wrote A Vision of Hope because I wanted people who felt broken, hopeless, or trapped by their past to see that redemption is possible. If sharing my story helps even one person believe their life isn’t over, then it was worth telling.

Writing the books forced me to revisit parts of my life that I had spent years trying to outrun. Some chapters were incredibly difficult to write because they brought back memories and emotions I thought I had already dealt with. At the same time, putting those experiences into words helped me make sense of them. It allowed me to see the larger story, not just the pain. In many ways, writing became another stage of my recovery.

There wasn’t one single moment. It was a series of moments where I realized I had two choices. I could continue blaming my circumstances and repeating the same patterns, or I could take responsibility for my future. Recovery gave me clarity. Losing people I loved gave me perspective. Eventually I realized that if I was going to survive everything I’d been through, there needed to be a reason for it. That’s when I started rebuilding my life intentionally.

Faith gave me hope when I didn’t have much reason to believe in myself. It helped me understand that my mistakes did not define my worth and that redemption was possible. My faith became less about religion and more about trust, purpose, and surrender. It helped me stop trying to control everything and start focusing on becoming the person I was meant to be.

I want them to understand that their past does not have to dictate their future. Recovery is possible. Healing is possible. Purpose is possible. No matter how far you’ve fallen, you are not beyond redemption. The hardest chapters of your life do not have to be the final chapters.

Losing my fiancé changed me in ways I don’t think I can fully put into words. Grief strips away illusions. It forces you to confront what truly matters. That loss taught me that life is fragile and that none of us are promised tomorrow. It made me more determined to live with purpose and to make the time I have count. It also deepened my compassion for other people who are carrying invisible pain.

The biggest challenge was balancing honesty with perspective. When you’re writing about your own life, it’s easy to either soften difficult truths or get lost in the emotion of them. I wanted readers to experience the reality of what happened without feeling like they were reading a list of tragedies. My goal was to tell the truth while also showing growth, lessons, and hope.

Many recovery books focus primarily on addiction itself. A Vision of Hope is really about identity, purpose, and transformation. Addiction is part of the story, but it’s not the whole story. The book explores trauma, incarceration, grief, personal responsibility, faith, and rebuilding a meaningful life. It’s ultimately a story about becoming someone new rather than simply stopping destructive behaviors.

It was also written from within the chaos. Being written entirely during my last incarceration and treatment in 2019, along witn the structure of the book itself, allows witness of the growth in real time.

A Vision of Hope Media was created to expand the mission beyond books. The goal is to create content, curriculum, programs, and resources that help people heal, grow, and rebuild their lives. I want the organization to serve people in recovery, people returning from incarceration, and anyone searching for purpose after hardship. The long-term vision is creating tools that help people not only survive but thrive.

Each format serves a different purpose. The memoir tells the story. The reflection book helps readers process what they’re learning. The workbook helps them apply those lessons to their own lives. The curriculum allows organizations to use the material in structured settings. Together they create a complete journey from inspiration to implementation.

Accountability is essential. Change rarely happens in isolation. We all need people who will challenge us, encourage us, and hold us to a higher standard. Accountability isn’t about punishment. It’s about alignment. It’s about having people in your life who help you become the person you say you want to be. In one of the books, I talk about just this: surrounding ourselves with people who fan our flames rather than those who stifle them.

I start by recognizing that reentry is about far more than finding a job or a place to live. Those things matter, but lasting change begins with identity. Many people leave incarceration carrying shame, labels, and limiting beliefs about who they are. I focus on helping people develop a new vision for themselves, build practical skills, and reconnect with purpose. When identity changes, behavior becomes much easier to sustain.

I try to write the way I speak. I don’t want readers to feel like they’re reading a polished performance. I want them to feel like they’re sitting across from someone who has actually lived through these experiences. Authenticity comes from being willing to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.

As an author, I plan to continue writing and expanding the A Vision of Hope universe through additional books, curriculum, and educational resources. As an advocate, I want to help advance conversations around recovery, reentry, and criminal justice reform. I believe we need systems that balance accountability with redemption and provide people with real opportunities to rebuild their lives.

Absolutely. Platforms like AllAuthor provide valuable opportunities for authors to increase visibility, connect with readers, and participate in interviews, promotions, and other marketing initiatives. One of the biggest challenges authors face is simply getting their work discovered, and AllAuthor provides tools that help bridge that gap while allowing authors to share their stories with a broader audience.