Most people would be inclined to give up on a homeless man with a 36-year history of drug abuse, but David R. is proof that it is never too late to change. Looking back on his drug-dealing days with disbelief, David recounts being shot and stabbed, struggling unsuccessfully through a marriage, serving several brief jail sentences, and squandering his life in homeless shelters for many years. He resisted drug treatment and succumbed to frequent relapses.
It wasn't until he arrived at Volunteers of America's Charles Gay Shelter on Ward's Island that David recognized the opportunity he had been given. He started to cooperate with the staff who were there to help him.
"You've got to be willing to change," David said, "but you can't do recovery all by yourself. I got the help I needed at the Volunteers of America shelter. Now I'm clean and sober and enjoying it."
David participated in support groups, peer counseling, intensive case management and one-to-one counseling and housing- readiness workshops.
At 48, David is clean and sober, and studying to become a credentialed alcoholism counselor. He lives in a supportive residence for singles in the Bronx and maintains his ties with Volunteers of America as a support group leader and peer counselor. "You have to stop focusing on what 'the world' is doing to you and learn to do something positive for yourself, take responsibility for your own actions," he says.
Envisioning his future, David hopes to re-establish contact with his adult son and looks forward to playing with his grandchildren. Most of all, he wants to work with people who are trapped by substance abuse, homelessness and hopelessness, and help them "see the light" sooner than he did. "I've been a taker most of my life," says David. "Now I want to be able to give something back."