Program Graduate

 

Jerry first turned to drugs while serving in Vietnam to help silence the pain and suffering he endured on a daily basis overseas. Unfortunately, returning to civilian life as a decorated veteran was more difficult than he had anticipated, and after Jerry returned home, his drug use continued to escalate. It became harder and harder for Jerry to cope with day-to-day struggles, and he soon became an addict.

Jerry quickly ran out of money and turned to violence and robbery to fuel his bad habits. He lied to his family, lost his job, and did nothing to stop his life from spinning out of control. Eventually, he ended up in jail and at that point, he didn’t care about anything or anyone. Thankfully, while incarcerated, someone from the VA saw something in him and gave him a second chance by introducing Jerry to The Baltimore Station. He entered the program in May 2012.

From day one at The Baltimore Station, he was told to “sit down, be quiet and pay attention,” and that is exactly what he did. Jerry started to realize the program might actually work for him and made the decision to go to every counseling and group therapy session that he could attend. Throughout the process, he kept in close touch with his case manager who knew exactly what Jerry was going through because he too went through The Baltimore Station program and is in recovery himself.

He slowly started gaining the strength to resist the many temptations that he continued to face on a daily basis – and will probably face for the rest of his life. Saying “no” to his bad habits started to come much easier for Jerry once he learned to accept responsibility for his actions and be accountable for his choices. He stopped making excuses or accepting them from anyone else. He developed trust and respect for others and more importantly, for himself.