On May 20,1992, my second wife gave birth to a son, Zachary. I felt an immediate and overpowering love for my new child, an emotion that had been vacant from me for so many years. The arrival of my son provided a sense of purpose to my existence. Finding a reason to love broke the cycle of heroin, robbery, and jail.
Coming to grips with the anger from my childhood and putting the past behind me has let me look forward to the future with Zack, which is very motivating. I am aware that it will be a gradual process to get to a better place, and I understand that setbacks will occur. If he was not in my life, I am not sure if I would have tried to rebuild it.
I think back on all the times I used to be in jail. Just before I got out, my heart and mind were in the right place, but when I got released, I went back to the only place and people I knew. It was really hard to change this behavior. Finding new friends and changing my life was very difficult. I had to set up some support systems for myself to get over the peaks and valleys. They are a necessity for someone in a tough situation.
I abide by the motto “have a good attitude to everything, and good things will follow.” You have to listen and not think that you are smarter than everyone else. Most importantly, you must have the desire to straighten yourself out and be honest with yourself. There will be a lot more rough times than positive ones at first, but you have just got to roll with the punches.
Bio: Jim was addicted to drugs for 25 years and has spent time in prison for trafficking as well. Provided by: www.survivingadversity.com
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