Another attempt at recovery lasted about a year, and after relapsing yet again, I moved to England.
I stayed abstinent for a bit, but hung around in the village pubs every night, and soon started drinking to the point of shaking in the morning. I hooked on with a Scottish folksinger and we traveled throughout Europe, performing at schools during the day and pubs or small art centers and fairs. I quickly learned how to work the hospitable nature of the people I met, and stayed drunk most of the time.
When I returned home, I bounced around New York and Maryland, burning bridges everywhere I went. One day, I awoke in a strange place, and when I asked where I was, I was told that I was in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
I have been able to piece the story together over the years, but in a nutshell, I convinced some people I knew from my show days to drive to Brooklyn and pick me up. After 3 days, they asked me to leave. I wound up in South Providence, living in a rooming house and drinking myself into oblivion.
At that point, I felt I had lost the will to live. My family didn’t know if I was alive or dead.
After a few months, I knew I didn’t have many options left, so I found a bed in the State Detox, which got me a bed at the Providence Center’s Residential Care.
That was 12 years ago. When I celebrated my first year in recovery, my mom was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to several areas, and she died 4 months later. I was able to spend time with her and be a good son to her, without any other agenda. She passed with the knowledge that I was on the good red road.
I have also been able to repair and develop very close relationships with my children, becoming a grandfather for the first time in August, 2009. With 2 more grandchildren on the way.
What’s it like now? Many of my wildest dreams have become a reality. I was hired by the same detox center as a counselor, and I actively pursued my license as a substance abuse professional. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a wide range of populations, ranging from children to the correctional facility.
And that dream job? A few years into my recovery, I received a call from the owner of the company. He asked if I was interested in working some of the local tours. Was I! Now every spring, when the show is in the northeast, I work it whenever I can.
I’ve settled down here in Rhode Island and have had the pleasure of working in a profession that I love. I also get to make music and spread the message of recovery and hope.
In 2006, I took over the Rhode Island Community for Addiction Recovery (RICARES) and ran it until 2008, when I felt the circle was complete. That’s when I went to work for the Providence Center. A position was created to embrace the importance of Recovery Services, and that’s what I do. And I am loving it.
Parts of this dream have included being awarded the R.I. Counselor of the Year Award in 2003. In 2006, I received the Jefferson Award for service in the NE Community, which was followed up with a profile in the December 2006 Yankee Magazine, titled “Angels Among Us.”
In 2009, I was chosen as the Rhode Island delegate to represent our state at the National Rally for Recovery, and I was asked to speak at the National Press Club, along with a representative from Georgia, Gil Kerlikowske (President Obama’s Drug Czar), the Director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the President of A&E, on my personal recovery story.
This past year, I have been given the privilege of writing a monthly column on recovery for “Street Sight”, the newspaper dealing with issues of homelessness.
Our band, “The Recovery All Stars” has had nearly 100 members over the years, and continues to be a strong therapeutic tool for many. We are the official band of R.I. Recovery month, and are now the House Band for the late night comedy show on local NBC, “Rhode Bytes.”
Recovery is possible, treatment works… and life is good!