Program Success Story - Another Success Story

ERIC’S STORY


My name is Eric. I muddled along for 42 years on a continuing downward path, fueled by alcohol and drugs.

I suppose that my story is not much different than millions of others except for the part played in my case by Community Partnership for Homeless.

In simple terms, my basic problem from the age of 15 was alcohol. I now know that I had an alcoholic mind and that willpower or character was irrelevant. But I didn’t know this for all the years I struggled. I thought I was helpless, and I was.

I have now been “dry” for well over a year. I am employed at a first-class restaurant and have had three raises in less than a year.

It did not come easy. There were slips and failures and more than one effort by Community Partnership for Homeless before the realization, or awakening, came that the only answer, and the only hope, for me, was to “let go and let God”.

That phrase is the basic message of a twelve-step program, and any of its variations, requiring an unconditional acceptance of its terms and a rigorous self-honesty. It has been a never-ending learning process of who I am, simple but not easy.

IT DOES WORK IF YOU WORK IT!

In order to survive, I have had to get into these steps, apply them as best I can, and ask for help from some power greater than myself. This power may be whatever I choose to call it, inanimate or otherwise. But I must believe it, and I do. At first I had trouble with the concept until I was asked the question: “Well, can you do it by yourself?”, and the answer, of course, was a clear negative.

Aside from the help, which I had to request, the question then became what must I do personally. I had to recognize that any life run on self-will could hardly be a success. Even with the best of intentions, on that basis, collisions occurred regularly with something or somebody.

Otherwise, I would continue on my downward spiral, marked by anger, self-pity, indignation, delusions, self-centeredness, fear, retaliation, hatred, and despair.

Since this is supposed to be a success story, in addition to recounting the negatives, there should be an account of what happened to brighten the future.

With guidance from the professionals at Community Partnership for Homeless and others, I began a review of my life and habits, searching for flaws in my makeup, any one of which might trip me up, and land me back in the clutches of booze and drugs.

Eventually, I found the greatest offender. In one word: RESENTMENT. From it stems countless forms of mental, physical, and spiritual disease. Resentments, themselves, can be counted in the thousands, i.e. I am misunderstood; I am ugly; my wife is a nag; I don’t make enough money; I hate my job; That girl snubbed me; I hat myself. And so on.

There is much more and the effort continues. With each little triumph comes a little more peace of mind. My life is a new model to be lived one day at a time.

THANK YOU COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR HOMELESS!