Alex

Hi. I'm Alex. For me, there's a solution to staying sober which requires help. Working a structured program with the caring staff at the Boston Rescue Mission is giving me an honest chance to heal.

There was a lot of racism to overcome in grade school. I really wanted to fit in, but ended up getting in trouble a lot. In high school, I was desperate to be cool, and smoked a lot of weed. In fact, I did 9th grade 3 times before passing. By then, I was drinking, smoking, drugging, and skipping class so much that finishing school seemed like a joke. Even after dropping out, I didn't realize that I was an addict.

I began selling drugs on the streets. That was horrible. It opened doors to more drug use, and an arrest. A recovery program in jail taught me a few good skills, but I really didn't know how far I'd gone into the pit of addiction.

Three years later, I believed that I could just drink socially. But I sold everything to drink and use drugs. I became homeless without even knowing it, and lost touch with everyone close to me. After 5 visits to detox in the same month, I had a spiritual awakening. I found the Boston Rescue Mission.

Here I found hope. And a structured program, which I really needed. Staff members are compassionate and supportive, and helping me to be honest about what I need. And to the Mission supporters—thank you for having us in your hearts, and for being open-minded about the real problems going on in society.