When I was 8 years old, I started working in the fields in Mexico. I moved to the United States at the age of 14. When I turned 18, I began drinking with my father after work. I was told not to use drugs, but I used drugs and alcohol anyway because I wanted to forget about life’s problems. In the process, I lost my wife and children and began to drink and use more. I ended up going to prison for several years.

After my release, Parole sent me to a residential treatment facility. After completing the program, I entered the Distributive Bridge program where I began working part-time as a facility assistant at the Village of Hope campus. I am now on the full-time staff. My life has changed for the better, and I am grateful for the opportunity to change my life.