John got an early start at hard living.

A friend of his parents introduced him to marijuana at age 15. Although he was brought up in an upper-middle-class, Christian environment, John’s early experimentation with drugs quickly escalated. At the same time, he was taking on more responsibility. By age 19, he was married with two children. Because of his downward spiral into drug addiction and alcoholism, he eventually lost it all —jobs, marriage to the woman of his dreams, and his youngest child, who was taken away by Child Protective Services.

"I didn’t have three sober days in a row before I entered St. Vincent de Paul Village," John recalls.

John’s recovery began in a roundabout way: A painful toothache demanded immediate attention. He went to one of his older sons for help, and together they searched for a local dental clinic. John was referred to St. Vincent de Paul Village’s dental clinic, where he had extensive work done to repair the damage caused by years of neglect.

The dental attention John received was only the beginning of the care he found at the Village. While at the dental clinic, he learned about St. Vincent’s extensive programs, including a class addressing the problem of substance abuse. John entered St. Vincent de Paul Village on July 3, 1993, determined to find a new start.

Today, John has been sober and clean for seven years. He credits St. Vincent’s for
helping him realize he could not blame others for his condition, adding that the key to change was learning to take responsibility for his own actions. "Being able to point the finger at myself made everything possible," he says. "I owe it all to St. Vincent de Paul Village."

John is not the only one who credits St. Vincent de Paul Village for turning his life around. One of John’s two grown sons called in to a live radio broadcast featuring Father Joe Carroll and John. In a voice filled with emotion, John’s son thanked Father Joe "for giving me my father back." The moment brought tears to everyone’s eyes. John says he is grateful to his sons for never giving up on him. His father — who had long prayed for his recovery —passed away before seeing the dramatic change in his son’s life. Fortunately, John was able to tell his mother he was on his way to becoming clean and sober.

"You don’t realize what an influence you have on other people," he says.
After leaving the Village and going out on his own, John bumped into the son of a former employer. When the employer heard about John’s recovery, he offered him his welding job back. John has remained on the job for the last six years. "My employer treats me like family," he says.

John finally regained custody of his third and youngest son, John, Jr., who was taken away by Child Protective Services. "I have time for the things that matter now," he says. "I am there for my son. It makes a child proud when you are doing things with them. Children should be your highest priority. If you’re drinking or doing drugs, you don’t have any priorities." In August, John became a grandfather for the first time.

John believes his family’s prayers helped him recover. "I also prayed for help from God," he says. "Nothing happens in God’s world by accident." He is learning to face life on life’s terms, one day at a time. "I’m far from perfect, he admits, "but I’m trying to do better every day."
And it all began with a toothache.