As a result of a drug treatment program, I began my recovery on April 4, 1990. On that day, I realized a higher power might have a better plan for me if I was willing to surrender long enough.

But recovery was the last thing on my mind in the late 1970s and 1980s as I was running the streets of Harlem. Then, I thought that alcohol and drugs were just an aspect of partying. My frame of mind led me to multiple visits to jail, three broken marriages, abandonment of my three children, and the loss of countless jobs. Not much of a party. I didn't know what my future looked like, but I knew for sure what the past looked like, and I didn't like it.

I sought out 12-step meetings, obtained a sponsor, and worked the program. I returned to school and achieved a bachelor's degree and a master's in social work. Today, I have become a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor and licensed master of social work.