Day Job:
President/CEO of the non-profit Association of Persons Affected by Addiction (APAA). Located in Dallas, Texas, APAA was a pioneer among peer-driven recovery organizations, and has earned numerous grants and national awards.

At my worst, I was:
Homeless, lonely and afraid and did not know how to ask for help. At 19 years old, I was on a suicide mission. I was using heroin and saw on TV that soldiers were dying from heroin in Vietnam. So I enlisted to get the killer dope . . . I figured I would get shot up with dope or bullets to end the madness. I did not go to Vietnam because they found heroin in my system; I completed my military time in addiction treatment, went home and continued my use.

Stigma I faced:
Shame, guilt, fear, discrimination, labeling as an addict/alcoholic

My rock bottom moment:
The one DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) arrest; being sick and tired of doing the same thing over and over and over and no change in my life.

What worked for me:
I bought Methodone on the streets of Harlem to detox myself off heroin; I have not used any opioid since 1973. I continued to drink alcoholically until someone introduced me to the 12-step program in 1988.

My fear and trust issues would not accept any help at first. They told me I had to ask this guy to help me with the steps . . . even though he was kind and welcoming, my fear drove me to drink for another month before I could surrender absolutely to trust and accept his help. Once I did, that was the beginning of my recovery career.

Rules I live by:
Recovery first, include others in my life, trust at least one person who really knows me (my sponsor and now my wife), go to at least 3 meetings/support groups per week.

Work out every other day, have fun daily, do service work at a higher level than with the 12-step program, say the Lord’s Prayer, 3rd Step Prayer and the Serenity Prayer every morning and pray as needed for recovery balance and peace.

Best advice for newbies:
Keep it simple, don’t be hard on yourself.

Advice to my younger self:
Be aware of fear, selfishness, self-centeredness and guilt. My younger self was hurt in an alcoholic home and was fearful most of my life. I have learned to love myself as no one has ever loved me before.

What I learned about myself:
I am a person in long-term recovery and what that means is that I’m a servant leader today. I’m a father, a husband, a teacher of recovery and health. I give back what was freely given to me; I love people and I love myself.

When cravings come:
Today, my cravings and triggers are about craving to talk to someone, craving companionship, craving love. I go to a meeting, to the gym and work out, I work on myself. I talk to my sponsor, who is a psychiatrist and has taught me that maturity is about options. The more options I have, the more mature I am.

Shed the Stigma:
If you’re a person in long-term recovery who wants to share your insights, please contact us at [email protected].