Danny’s Story

If you needed a ride, you could count on Danny Teichman. His family saw it for themselves, and heard story after story about Danny helping people who needed a ride. Some people he knew … and some people he didn’t. It was just something he did, and he probably never even gave it any real thought.

In his junior year of college, Danny entered rehab for substance use disorder. As a testament to his resilience and commitment to sobriety, he went on to finish college, earning his degree in political science at Temple University. He moved back to Bethlehem, Pa., his home town, got a great job working in logistics for an international industrial gas company, and settled into his own apartment. And then, during a relapse, he became addicted to opioids.

Danny sought out family and professional support, and began attending intensive outpatient rehab in Bethlehem at night, while working during the day. When his rehab was complete, he moved to Portland, Oregon, where his father lived, to continue recovery in a new community. He got a job, and was soon integrated into the Portland recovery community. Under the care of his doctor, Danny took suboxone, a medication used to help manage opioid addiction.

He took his recovery very seriously. He attended several 12-step meetings each week. He sought out and worked with a wonderful sponsor. He volunteered at a homeless shelter. And he went back to school, working toward a graduate degree in IT operations analytics.

It was then that Danny, feeling strong and confident in his recovery … and with the help of his physician … decided to stop taking suboxone. He experienced significant withdrawal for several months after discontinuing his use of suboxone. Insomnia was one of the more difficult symptoms for him. Danny believed that Kratom was a safe, legal and natural way to counteract it. He took it to get to sleep on November 10, 2016. He never woke up. He was just one week shy of his 28th birthday.

We established Danny’s Ride to help cope with our loss. We want his legacy of compassion and generosity to continue long after his death. Using a ride share service such as Lyft or Uber, Danny’s Ride will provide free transportation to people living with substance use disorder to get to recovery services.

Transportation to outpatient rehab, 12-step meetings and other recovery resources is often a significant barrier to recovery, and Danny would want us to help mitigate that. By helping others who live with substance use disorder, Danny continues to make a difference in our world.