Timothy
had the courage to fight back against veteran alcoholism — a personal fight for
him. After hitting rock bottom, he rose up and now wants to give back to other veterans.
The U.S. Navy veteran says his propensity for
alcohol was heightened in the Navy where he would stop at bars at each pier - booze was always around.
“I came out of the Navy an
alcoholic and I also had also some PTSD from sexual assault that wasn’t
diagnosed until 20 years after my service,” adds Timothy.
The Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center
reports that nearly 13 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
from 2006 to 2008 were referred to counseling for alcohol problems after their
post-deployment health assessments. That’s a significant portion of deployed
forces coming back to face alcohol problems.
After completing his
service, Timothy worked as a finance manager, but his dependency on alcohol affected his
work.
“And
then I traded one drug for another and began using cocaine and it cost me my
home and family,” says Timothy.
In
1986, Timothy enrolled in a recovery treatment program but eventually relapsed. For three decades he was in and out of recovery programs.
He came to HVAF in May 2016. The program worked and he
slowly began to rebuild his life.
“You
make progress each time. I am 55 years old and each time you make progress. Every
time I had relapsed it was because I had stopped doing the things I was
supposed to be doing like going to meetings, church and visiting family. When
you give up that support – you are doomed.”
“Support
groups are very critical to recovery,” says Timothy’s Case Manager, Shawnita
Yarbro. “And to show the veteran that you genuinely care about their
well-being and overall success is key.”
Today,
Timothy is thriving. He is housed and has been clean and sober for six
months. He
receives VA disability and is working to pay off his debts and eventually move
into permanent housing. He serves as a mentor for other veterans by routinely telling his story and offering hope.
