Long Road to Recovery EMSC client finds success after decades of addiction The road to recovery can be long and filled with obstacles at every turn. Few people know that journey better than Darrien James. “It started at a very young age. My first drugs were marijuana and alcohol at age 11,” James says. “I’m 51 now, so I’ve been battling with this addiction for 40 years.” After being released from prison last summer, James found himself right back in his old life of active addiction. So he checked himself into a treatment center and decided to commit to change. “I had a fear of going back out and getting high,” James says. “It put too much mental strain on me and I just didn’t want to live that way anymore.” James’ counselor suggested he look at the Empowered Men Service Center (EMSC), where staff quickly helped him find supportive transitional housing. He arrived in October of last year and has been with the organization ever since. “I never thought in my wildest dreams that [my addiction] would lead to this,” James says. “But now that I’m in this process, it’s a great feeling.” “That was a great feeling, to have somebody have faith in me.” - Darrien James , EMSC client
Taking charge James has taken a very active role in his recovery, faithfully attending group meetings and traveling to Narcotics Anonymous conventions in several states. He says the programming and services at EMSC moti- vated him to take charge of his situation and work for a better life. “The opportunity that it gave me is to become a manageable person and a productive member of society,” James says. “I’ve never had that way of life before I got here and so I’m very grateful for this program.” James also credits the program’s staff with giving him a chance at a fresh start. He’s particularly thankful for Renee Payton, the program’s founder and CEO, who he says is always there to listen to clients and help them with whatever they need. James says he appreciates every- thing she’s done for him, especially when she made the decision to hire him as a house manager. “That was a great feeling, to have somebody have faith in me, believe in me,” James says. “I got the opportunity to better myself.”
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