IDENTITY
Ben Murphy
Ben Murphy was a 20-year-old business major and athlete
at San Jose State University when an injury ended his sports
career and changed the trajectory of his life. After multiple
surgeries and a lot of prescription pills, he was depressed. He
turned to alcohol and drugs and dropped out of college twice.
This was the start of an eight-year battle. Murphy went to
rehab several times, only to return to drugs. He wound up
using crystal meth, “a drug that makes you so high, it’s like
a pit bull gets a hold of your psyche and won’t let go,” says
Murphy. He committed crimes, went to jail, and became
a person his family and friends no longer recognized. He
had an emotional breakdown and lost interest in everything he
“Anytime I was awake, as soon
as I started to sober up,
I would have all this guilt,
shame, embarrassment, regret,
depression, and anxiety.”
Photo by Jennifer Murphy
loved. He continued using drugs, including acid and ecstasy. He
eventually overdose