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I began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at a young age.  In junior high school I was already boozing and smoking pot.  In 1980, when I enlisted in the Navy, my behavior didn’t change.  In fact, my substance abuse even landed me in the

brig for 60 days.

After leaving the Navy I was soon supporting a wife and two boys – yet I continued to drink and use drugs.  I got hooked on speed, and that became my undoing.  I would stay up for days, then sleep for long hours and miss work.  Finally, I was fired.

When my wife died, my father-in-law took us in, giving my sons a more stable environment.   But my drug use continued.  In fact, I had turned into a junkie.  When my father-in-law died, my sons were sent to foster homes.  Soon, I was living on the streets.

Then, one day in 2007, while I was trying to get food stamps and hotel vouchers from the State, I was informed about New Directions.  I entered the program and was welcomed with open arms. Slowly but surely I began to grow spiritually. I also gained confidence in myself by accepting my powerlessness and the strength gained from a loving God.

New Directions helped me by changing my whole way of thinking. Also, I had a very strong incentive to get and stay clean:  I wanted my boys back.  So, I kept my eyes on the prize, and grew in my recovery.

Today, thanks to the tools I was given at New Directions, I have earned back my role as a father.  I have a job now, and a home in which to raise my sons. Kenny, my older son is enrolled in Mt. San Antonio College and doing well. Henry is a junior at Charter Oak High and is involved with the choir and drama departments. Both of my sons share my love of music, and a trust fund has been set up for their education.

I know that the road of life will never be perfectly smooth, but I am confident now that I have the tools to deal with adversity. I know there is a reason I was chosen for God’s work.