CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A local father says his struggle with addiction began at the age of 5.

But, Trevor Steinhauser said he was able to find help and hope thanks to a team at the Lindner Center of Hope. They also helped him learn other coping skills for lifelong problems, such as depression and anxiety. He now shares his story to help others who are addicted to the very things he initially thought he could never live without.

Steinhauser admits alcohol and cocaine once had a serious hold on his life.

"I never had a drink after work. I either didn't drink or it was full-tilt," Steinhauser said.

Now sober almost four years, he shared his story with Local 12 at the Lindner Center of Hope. His message: It's never too late to recover from addiction. And as a husband and father of three young children, it's also likely never too early to start looking for early warning signs that might lead to risky or addictive behavior.

"Probably around 5 or 6, I noticed something was off...I was a happy kid, but I just knew that the kid next to me was probably not thinking the stuff that I was thinking about. Just all over the place. I mean, I probably had my addictive behavior that young," Steinhauser said.

Once the team at Lindner Center of Hope started to address not just his addiction, but his childhood anxiety, depression and fears that led to it, Steinhauser said he realized he had been that way forever. He says that started his recovery.

Dr. Tracy Cummings says it's not unusual for behaviors that lead to addiction to start early.

"You know, the reality is that, in any given year, one in five of us are experiencing mental illness. About half of those cases started before age 14, so a lot of people have been having symptoms for a long time. They've just figured out ways to either adapt to those or not talk about those," Dr. Cummings said.

So the question is: Could his pattern of behavior have been interrupted with early intervention to avoid future addiction?

"[It] depends, certainly a genetic predisposition is there," said Dr. Cummings.

Since Steinhauser as a kid couldn't find the words, he has a few reminders now tattooed on his arm. They are answers to things a parent might hear.

"If I hear 'I can't sleep at night because I just have this feeling that something bad's going to happen.' So, they might not say anxiety or panic attacks, but they might be able to give you other words or avenues into what they are experiencing," Dr. Cummings said.

Lindner Center of Hope now has a comprehensive program that treats young people for both mental health problems and addiction.

If you are struggling, click here to learn more and find help.