FROM ADDICTION AND PRISON TO GRADUATE SCHOOL
I learned the struggle of addiction early on. It felt like it was my family’s curse. My father was an IV drug user and eventually, it killed him around age 31. One of my brothers started using heroin at age 11. Another brother died from addiction and the lifestyle. My mother did the best she could to raise four children on her own, but she was an alcoholic. I was always scared growing up because of all the uncertainty.
School was my only place of safety – I had perfect attendance for all four years of high school. But I never felt confident socially, so I started using cocaine because it made me feel like I could talk to anyone. That led to addiction and it cost me a lot, including five years of my life. I was incarcerated for selling drugs to an undercover officer. My mom passed away while I was in prison. She used to always say, “My son is gonna do well and make the family proud.” She never got to see that.
School has always been an important part of my journey. After prison, I got my college degree in social services and worked as a case manager. Being able to assist others made me feel like I had a purpose. For 17 years I was abstinent, and then I relapsed. Within two years I lost everything.
I decided to go to inpatient treatment for the first time. I needed to talk about my childhood trauma. The treatment program referred me to ACE.
When I first entered ACE and saw the classroom, I immediately felt that same security that I had in school many years before. I found support instantly. Working with the maintenance crew cleaning plazas and streets taught me a sense of community. And I was able to use one of my stipend checks to take one of my sons out to lunch and reconnect. That felt great. It takes a village to help someone who’s gone through as much historical trauma and pain as I have, and it’s a miracle I’m even here to share my story. ACE brought me back to life.
The ACE staff embraced me in such a way that I started to believe that I could get back to my purpose of helping others. They gave me the opportunity to be a front desk intern – assisting people with paperwork and explaining the program. I felt needed and important. ACE gave me a character reference for my current position. They knew I could get back into social services. The people that see something in you and don’t give up on you are what counts. That’s ACE.
I graduated ACE in 2019. Today I work at the Bronx Prevention Center, owned and run by Columbia University. I’m a clinical research coordinator, peer navigator supervisor, and community educator. My job title sounds fancy and looks good on a business card, but really it’s just someone who has lived experience talking to someone who is actively using and helping them to find treatment. I’m working on a project researching how to provide better healthcare services to individuals who are actively using and injecting opioids. In January of 2023, I started back to school, back to my place of safety. Columbia University is paying for me to get my Master’s in Public Health while I work. My coworkers and supervisor are all supportive of me and where I’d like to go.
If I could talk to my mom now, I’d tell her that she was right. I am somebody. And I know what she’d say back: Take your hat off in the house, wash your hands before touching anything in the kitchen, and I’m proud of you.
