News and Stories from Sobriety House

A Story of Recovery

by Yale Huffman

What Gerald W. could not get for a thousand dollars a day somewhere else, he got at Sobriety House for eight dollars a day... sobriety. That was five years ago and his story since is a fulfillment of the modest investment made in him in 2001.

Fresh from the University of Wyoming, Gerald showed promise in the corporate world, and by age 34 was earning a six-figure income. The boy from Casper, Wyoming became vice-president of a corporate manufacturer of office equipment. He married and had three children. He was sitting pretty. That was when the trouble started.

"I just couldn't stand prosperity," he recalls while sharing his story with the other alcoholics and addicts in their weekly meeting at Sobriety House. "I thought I could afford an occasional binge, but they became frequent, then chronic. After the bankruptcy and divorce, I became a fugitive hiding in the Las Vegas airport, waiting for my brother Tom to rescue me. He did, and he drove me to Denver and got me into Sobriety House, a refuge for indigent alcoholics. I was eligible alright."

The counselors working with Gerald were encouraged by his progress. Between sessions, he looked for a job and frequently used the computers in the Denver Public Library, job searching and exploring the Internet. Gerald applied at a local print shop for a job on the copy machines. He mentioned previous experience in the field but did not disclose at what level. The Sunday after applying, he encountered the owner in church and on Monday morning was called to report for work. They liked him.

It was then that Gerald heard about the Passport Fund at Sobriety House, where scholarships help clients with their education. He enrolled in computer science classes at Emily Griffith Opportunity School. His progress was swift and a lucky encounter with the information technology manager at a major downtown hotel landed him an entry-level job. Now airborne, he entered Sobriety House's independent living facility, The Gaylord. There he would have nine months to earn his way back into life as a tax-paying citizen.

At last, Gerald was freed of the Nevada restraining order that forbade contact with his two teen-age daughters. His twin sister Karen hosted a reunion in Denver. The girls got a new view of their father, now more than a year clean and sober.

Gerald's continued progress at Emily Griffith was rapid. The computer manager at the hotel left for another assignment, and Gerald was ready to take on the job. Now halfway back to his former six-figure income, he flies his daughters Megan and Desirae to Denver for visits at the hotel and in his comfortable apartment in Cherry Creek. At school, he will soon earn the Microsoft certificate for network administration. Gerald makes frequent visits back to Sobriety House and many meetings each week. Looking back through five years clean and sober, he reminds himself, "One day at a time."

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