On the run Before making Minnesota his home, where he has now lived for 14 years, Williams was raised 50 miles west of Los Angeles in the town of San Bernardino, CA. His first exposure to drugs was at 14, smoking marijuana with his best friend’s older brother and the older brother’s friends. “My mother would say, ‘I don’t like you down at his house,’ but I looked up to him,” says Williams. “We went to grown folks’ parties. We thought it was cool.Then I got hooked.” He says crack got him in particular. Unable to get his substance abuse issues under control, Williams would move around the country trying to solve his problems with a geographical cure. “I was constantly running from state to state. I kept thinking, ‘If I go here, things could change,’” says Williams. His family began to notice his erratic behavior and made no mistake in identifying the problem - he needed to get clean. Williams’ family asked him to find a place to settle down and concentrate first on his health and his sobriety. Williams had a friend in Minnesota and decided to move here. His habits, though, did not break immediately. Williams was in legal trouble again, this time receiving a conviction and a probation sentence.The silver lining was that the sentence required he go to treatment at New Perspectives.
Sober life Just like his bumpy move to Minnesota, Williams stumbled in the beginning of the program, but he soon found his way and graduated. He got off of probation and started working for the Salvation Army and other charities. He got married, got his driver’s license, his own car and his own place. He began working as a driver for Menards and Pepsi, even coming back to New Perspectives to volunteer his time as a driver. Williams says he enjoys visiting New Perspectives. “I can encourage (clients) and let them know, ‘Hey, I was a 27-year addict on hard drugs, this is the way we do this,’” says Williams. Williams says that he loves living in Minnesota and visiting New Perspectives. Living sober is a better kind of high. He says at times he will visit family in California or become really busy with work here in the Twin Cities and be unable to stop by New Perspectives. But he always returns to Minnesota and he always stays in contact with John Woods, the founder and director of New Perspectives. “I love it here,” says Williams. “I got help here. I got clean here.”
“I got help here. I got clean here.” -Vincent Williams, New Perspectives former client
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker