Candi, Wantsome?

Why Candi, Wantsome? Matters to GaggedDrag

This page exists because GaggedDrag wouldn't exist without Candi, Wantsome? Not the website — the person behind it. Candi, Wantsome? was my sobriety coach. She was the person who held the flashlight when I couldn't see the path. Without her, I would not be alive. Without her, I would not be in recovery. It is that simple, and it is that profound.

Candi, Wantsome? proved that drag and recovery weren't just compatible — they were powerful together. She called herself "The Super Sober Drag Queen" and wore that title like a crown, because it was one. In a world that often pushes substances as part of nightlife culture, Candi, Wantsome? stood on stages — in full face, in full glam — and said: "You can have all of this and be sober. You can be fabulous and be free."

She lost her battle to the very disease she spent her life fighting. The cruelty of addiction is that it doesn't care how much you've given, how many people you've saved, or how many stages you've commanded. It is relentless. And it took one of the best people I have ever known.

Her Work: Focus Recovery & Wellness Community

Candi, Wantsome? worked for FOCUS Recovery and Wellness Community in Findlay, Ohio — a peer-led recovery organization dedicated to supporting all pathways of recovery. At FOCUS, she served as a recovery support specialist, helping people navigate the hardest moments of their lives with compassion, humor, and the unshakeable belief that everyone deserves a second chance.

But her impact didn't stop at the local level. Candi, Wantsome? was invited to speak at state-level recovery events across Ohio, where she shared her story with audiences of hundreds. She spoke about the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity and addiction, about the unique challenges queer people face in recovery, and about how drag became her vehicle for healing — both her own and others'.

As a sobriety coach, she was the real deal. Not the kind who reads from a script. The kind who answers the phone at 2 AM. The kind who shows up. The kind who remembers your name and your story and checks in on Tuesday just because. That was Candi, Wantsome?

When she passed, many people asked me, “If she can’t do it, how can I?” I always said, “That is the wrong message.” The real message is that no one can do recovery alone. If she would have called, she would have had an entire army of us in recovery come running.

The Super Sober Drag Queen

Candi, Wantsome? wasn't just a drag name — it was a mission statement. The name itself was a wink and a dare: Candi, want some? The answer was always yes — yes to life, yes to joy, yes to community, and no to the substances that nearly took everything.

She was an artist, a costume designer, a storyteller, and a performer who used drag to carry messages that would be too heavy without the humor and glamour. Through performances, she shared the raw reality of addiction and the hard-won beauty of recovery — wrapping difficult truths in glitter and delivering them with a lip sync that could stop a room.

Her Instagram bio says it all: Sober drag queen. Artist. Costume designer. Recovering alcoholic. LGBTQ+ advocate. Recovery support. Motivational speaker and storyteller. Every word earned. Every word true.

Remembering Candi, Wantsome?

The founder of GaggedDrag.com with Candi, Wantsome? at a recovery conference in Columbus, Ohio

Candi, Wantsome? on stage — where recovery met glamour

Penny and Scott, the owners of GaggedDrag, with Candi, Wantsome? at a recovery conference

Scott and Penny at Pride — carrying Candi, Wantsome?'s spirit forward

Community and love — what Candi, Wantsome? was all about

Showing up, living loud — the way Candi, Wantsome? taught us

Celebrating pride and recovery

If you have photos of Candi, Wantsome? you'd like to share for this memorial, please email info@gaggeddrag.com.

Candi, Wantsome? in Her Own Words

Candi, Wantsome? recorded videos sharing her recovery journey and speaking about the power of peer support. These videos preserve her voice, her message, and her spirit for anyone who needs to hear them.

What She Meant to Me

I need to be clear about something: I would not be here without Candi, Wantsome? Not metaphorically. Not in the inspirational-quote sense. Literally. She was the reason I entered recovery. She was the reason I stayed in recovery. She was the person I called when everything was falling apart, and she always — always — picked up.

Recovery is brutal. It's the hardest thing most people will ever do. And Candi, Wantsome? made it survivable. She made it human. She made it funny, sometimes. She made it something you could look at and think: Maybe I can do this too.

The fact that addiction took her is not a failure. It is a testament to the ferocity of the disease. Candi, Wantsome? fought harder than anyone I've ever known. She gave everything she had to help other people fight it too. And many of us are still standing because of what she gave.

I owe Candi, Wantsome? everything — even in her passing, she kept giving. My wife and I reconnected when she was the one who reached out to tell me Candi, Wantsome? was gone. That reconnection led to our marriage and eight years of a loving relationship and counting. Even after she left this world, Candi, Wantsome? was still out here changing lives.

Today, as a substance abuse therapist, I carry Candi, Wantsome? with me into every group I lead. I speak about her. I share her story. I feel her gifts and her presence daily — in the work, in the people I sit with, in the moments when someone decides to try one more day. Candi, Wantsome? is still in the room.

Thank you, Candi, Wantsome?, for making my life an extravaganza.

Recovery Resources

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, please reach out. You are not alone. Candi, Wantsome? would want you to make the call.