Jim’s history, his experience with substance dependence, the life his substance dependence led him to, and his ability to overcome these obstacles, makes him a role model for others in recovery. He grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y., raised by a single mother who supported her children as a waitress. He left school in the eighth grade, a child with little support from adults, with only himself on which to rely. He used rebellion to deal with his anger, not realizing that he needed the structure and education that school and adults can provide. He soon gravitated to the streets and by the time he was 13, was using beer and quickly moved on to heroin. Jim began his many years of incarceration at age 16, and by 2008, he had spent a total of 17 years in the penal system, having many arrests for substance abuse possession, selling, as well as burglary and forgery. He never committed a crime that involved hurting others.

When I met him in the summer of 2008, Jim had been released recently from prison and was committed to changing his life. In his program he was a role model for others, always providing supportive, compassionate, recovery-based feedback to his group peers. His discussions always reflected his commitment to recovery, no matter what obstacle he was facing. He did all the things we recommend to those attempting to fight the disease of addiction. He attended nightly community–based sober support groups, had daily contact with his sponsor, and began to develop and build many sober friendships that became a circle of influence for him.

He committed himself to using the time-tested tools that others have used to create a life of recovery. Jim now lives in his own apartment. He works in his program’s recycling program and is now a supervisor. He leads therapy groups for men who are involved in the penal system and is a role model for these men, all of whom have served jail time. He is currently in the process of becoming certified as a peer counselor so he can increase his work in this area, hoping to influence others to do as he has, and continues to do so, on a daily basis.