John

Only two years ago, John, a college graduate and former member of the Navy, found himself wandering the streets of Memphis as he contemplated the last 20 years of his life he spent as a homeless drug addict. Walking across town desperate for a sign to help him change his ways, John was stopped in his tracks by the sight of The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC).

John recalled the program’s purpose is to help men regain self-respect and self-discipline through social rehabilitation services. He decided to enter the program and has never looked back. Now, two years later, John, 53, is sober and has completed the program. He went back to school, was recently married and is working as a counselor at the ARC.

John’s cocaine usage began in college in 1976 and escalated into an addiction once he left the Navy in 1987. John’s habit consumed his time and his money, and it quickly led to a period of homelessness, which lasted for more than 20 years.

During this time, John drifted through many mid-western cities including Chicago and Milwaukee, where he sought shelter in dumpsters and abandoned vehicles during the brutal winters.

“I remember finding half a rotted sandwich in the back of an old, abandoned semi-truck I was sleeping in one night,” John said. “I found myself in a stare-down with a rat to see who would get to eat the sandwich.”

John’s addiction controlled his life. He spent most of his time searching for his next fix. He found himself in the company of drug dealers and other addicts, which often led to life-threatening situations.

“A drug dealer held a pistol to my head and pulled the trigger, and there was silence,” John explained. “Only moments later, the dealer pointed the gun into the air and I heard the loud boom of a gun shot. I know now that God was there for me.”

John was in and out of shelters throughout the cities in which he lived, but could never stay off the streets long enough to make a permanent change. One of the shelters John was involved with had a sister shelter in Memphis. The shelter brought a truck-load of resources down to the Memphis shelter once a month. John decided to make the move to Memphis and hopped on the truck.

His time in Memphis started off well. He was working and staying with a reverend who had taken him in. However, the force of John’s addiction quickly took over. He was back on the streets using cocaine again when he found the ARC. Then, something clicked.

“When I entered the ARC it was a deal between me and God,” John said. “It was the element of Christ in the program that had been the missing component in my previous attempts to recover. The spiritual focus of the program facilitated my recovery.”

John also credits the counselors and the program directors at the ARC for his positive transition. He is currently a full-time counselor at the ARC. He graduated this past May, Summa Cumme Laude with a major in substance abuse counseling from Southwest Tennessee Community College. John’s ultimate goal is to be a substance abuse counselor who can help men incorporate their rightful positions in society and within their families.

“What I went through is a testimony to God’s glory,” John said. “It was the relationship I was able to build with God through my time at the ARC that has changed my life.”