Mr. Aeon Holton
The Past:
Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m still here. I would share this advice with anyone who is suffering from addiction, “if you are going through hell, keep walking.” I never intended to become addicted to prescription pain killers. I was gainfully employed in a livable wage job and seeking to further myself with the company when I slipped and fell. Within the next couple of days my back went out completely and I was in unbearable pain.
A simple pill became a complicated fix as dependency formed. I managed to get physically better but the addiction never left. Eventually, I went back to work but then it happened again. I look back and I remember thinking, here I am in the prime of my life barely existing off workman’s compensation and facing a future as a disabled man. The depression was real. This led to a series of life events that took me to my darkest hour but one of my most defining moments. Opiate overdose is the near-death experience that shook me to my core. It was then that I prayed for a way out of this cavern in my life. I never realized that incarceration would be the impetus for my sobriety but I am thankful. While incarcerated at Pickaway Correctional Institution a representative from IMPACT visited the prison and shared the Re-Entry Work Readiness Program. Upon my release and after treatment I had to find the real me without the imposter that I had become.
The Process:
The Re-Entry Work Readiness program transformed my thoughts and put me back in touch with who I am. During the three-week program, I experienced internal freedom from my past. I’ve incorporated the interpersonal skill that will help me develop into a better human being. Once promoted, I managed to be accepted into the Employment Plus Workforce Development Program where every tool that I had just learned got sharpened. With guidance, we investigated principles and learned concepts that challenged my perceptions about employment.
The Progress:
Graduation is another promotion ceremony to benchmark success. During Employment Plus graduation I was on a natural high that I’ve never felt before. Although I had what some would call a good life prior to addiction, I’d never worked this hard for anything in my life and the sense of accomplishment overwhelmed me with emotion. If you knew me then and seen me now, there would be no doubt in your mind that I’ve changed. I’ve been transformed and this transformation took place from the inside out. I know I’m not perfect and I wrestle with myself every day but I found a starting place at IMPACT. My classmates never have seen my tears and I remind myself that I’m still here.
The Present:
I am a full-time Lead 3rd Shift Trainer making $18.19 an hour. On the shift differential, I earn $20 an hour. When I landed this job I cried. I thought that I must be turning soft but no, my heart is in the right place. You see I went to class at IMPACT by day and worked all night as an event crewman and it paid off. It wasn’t that I didn’t care about the money. Somehow I needed to prove to myself that I was worthy to come back to work and this time I would be better, safer and take nothing for granted.
I’ve also purchased my first vehicle. I am a licensed, insured driver can you believe it! When you lose everything and get it back it’s the most incredible feeling. My long-term goal is to continue to build my credit to purchase my first home. There are not enough words to explain how I feel about my life. I’ve had other programs pour into my development but there is no organization like IMPACT. If I had to give advice to anyone like me who had almost died because of opiate addiction, it would be this. You can start over and have a life after a near-death experience. The Re-entry Work Readiness Program at IMPACT was my starting place and I highly recommend it.
The Possibility:
According to Franklin County Public Health, addiction to opiates/opioids is no longer a hidden issue – it is in plain sight. Addiction to opioids is resulting in unprecedented overdose deaths. The question is, what happens to those who survive? Although IMPACT Community Action does not provide treatment nor is a treatment facility, Empowerment Services Programs' holistic approach to self-sufficiency supports prosocial behavioral change. These changes lead to self–efficacy, self- governance, and self- sufficiency.
Franklin County Public Health: https://myfcph.org/health-systems-planning/ep/opiate-crisis/