Hard to be trusted when you lie, drug addiction is a series of lies. It's been 30 years and I still wish I had it all back.

Must have been major faux pas. Did you have control of the situation? Anyone else responsible? Sorry to hear.

I've made some mistakes in my past that I wish I could go back and fix.

In our world, all it take's is one person's missed perception.

Yeah, that's generally how life goes.
There was once a guy who instead of getting his boss to sign a maintenance report he signed it himself (illegally) so he could finish his shift and go home. As a result 167 people died, the survivors all received serious burns to their bodies and it cost hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage. All because he didn't wait 1 extra minute to show his boss the maintenance report like he was supposed to.

I came to realize many years ago that I am my best backer. What I think about myself is far more important to me than what others think. I feel good when I get it right and I may feel bad when I mess things up. But then I forgive myself and learn what I can from my mistake and move on. If others can't let go, then that is their problem. I even forgive them for their own intransigence. It is their loss not mine. Own yourself and don't try to own others.

I learned you can't ruin a good reputation if you have a bad one lol

I never had much of a reputation to screw up. It would be a short fall for me. Sounds like yours wasn't. Sorry to hear that.

That has never happened to me, but I have wondered, how one recovers from such a disaster! I do believe in redemption...after a person takes responsible for their actions, though! But, to punish a person for his whole life for one mistake...seems to much to me! Everybody errors...and surely some demand more accountability than others! Plus, a contrite person would never forget his error and would be haunted all his remaining days.

A single screw up in 40 years and the reputation is gone? Seems disproportionate, but I suppose it depends on the 'screw up.' Whatever this ‘screw up’ may have cost you, it seems to me that what follows represents an opportunity to make a better version of yourself.

Yep! It's a product of the "What have you done for me lately?" management style.

I had a boss at one point who used to say "One aw shit wipes out a whole lot of them attaboys".