Hi, I'm Joe. I grew up in the projects of South Boston. After my father left when I was four, my mother had a daughter with a verbally and physically abusive man. She tried to cope first by drinking, and later used Oxycontin and smoked crack. With her example, it became almost natural for me to drink every weekend at age 11. My addiction just snow-balled from there. By 16, I was using Oxycontin as well.

It was a crazy 8 years. On the surface, I held myself together with jobs and nice clothes, but in truth I was barely alive. I went to detox, but I never intended to get sober. It wasn't until my sister and I entered the same clinic that I began to think about further treatment.

I had no idea what to expect from the Kingston House. I tried other programs, but never stayed sober for longer than two weeks since that first drink. BRM was different. I realized I was not alone in my recovery struggle. Thanks to the Mission, I now am 8 and a half months sober, have an excellent sponsor, friends who truly care about me, and a healthy relationship with my higher power.

I know that without places like this, we would all be dead or in jail. Thanks to the support I've found here, every day gets easier and brighter. I hope to stay clean and sober and lead by example for my friends and family still caught in the throes of their own addictions.