Steve's Minneapolis ARC Story
Steve’s Story
Steve, an admitted alcoholic and former casual drug user, is currently a beneficiary of the Minneapolis Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center program. At the time of this writing he has been living at the center, attending Christian faith based recovery oriented class settings and participating in work therapy for four months. Steve spends 40 hrs a week operating in the center’s donation call center assisting Salvation Army supporters and arranging donation collection.
The youngest of six siblings, Steve grew up in a solid, hardworking family in California. His four sisters and one brother all became prosperous in adult life. Steve, too, did well in college, got married, had children and eventually became a successful Principal Options Trader for a Boston based firm on the New York Stock Exchange.
Over some 23 years Steve’s life began to roll in a negative direction. His drinking became a problem, his family life suffered and his marriage was lost. His professional life became crooked as well. He was indicted for insider trading and found himself in federal prison. Upon his release he was paroled to the state of Arizona. One and a half years later he moved to Minnesota and took a job in the communications field working for much less than he was used to making in his former line of work.
In his estimation, the federal probation process was much more lenient in Minnesota than it was in Arizona. He quickly figured out how to beat the system. “The evilness still in my mind worked out a plan to beat the color code UA system. So after all my clean time, which wasn’t so clean anyway, I had thought about drinking the entire time, I began to drink alcohol again. I was careful and only drank at home.”
One day Steve found himself in a hurry running late for work. He was pulled over for speeding and ended up blowing 0.83 on a breathalyzer at 9:00 AM. He wound up in the county jail.
County and State Feds did not know what to do with him. “I sat in that county jail for over 100 days…and I had given up mentally”. To further complicate Steve’s situation he had hired an attorney who’d gained his trust. He turned over both his case and his checkbook to him. Shortly thereafter this attorney was arrested for distribution of methamphetamines. He had been embezzling Steve’s money.
During this time Steve became friends with a fellow inmate Mike C, a man now also in the Minneapolis ARC program. Steve had money on his commissary and helped Mike out with lunch money.
While they were talking about their plans upon release, Steve confided in Mike, “I can’t contact my attorney…the county will not do an assessment…I don’t know how to get out of jail. I don’t know what I’m going to do”. It was then that Mike told Steve about The Salvation Army ARC program that he had signed up for. He later obtained an ARC application and gave it to Steve.
One day, instead of going to the jail exercise room, Steve decided to go to listen to a Christian rehab program representative. It was the Community Relations Director from the Mpls ARC. “I’ll never forget that day…I went to the presentation and it was none other than The Salvation Army ARC program representative Jeanna Bailey.”
Steve retrieved his application and gave it to Jeanna and told her that his court appearance was coming in one week. Jeanna took the application and had it processed quickly. Steve was able to go to court with the accepted application in hand the next week. He knew that he was caught in “that little bureaucratic game” where no one knew what to do with him.
In court the Federal Prosecutor made it clear that he wanted Steve to do three years.
He thought to himself, “I only have one shot at this”.
He said to the judge, “I know that I have a drinking problem and I have never been to a rehabilitation program before. I was not allowed to take the rehab program in jail because I am not a resident of the state but I would like to participate in The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center program.”
The judge looked at the prosecutor and said, “Ya know what…I’m going to give Steve a chance. We are going to release him.” Amazingly, Steve was released to the custody of a friend who took him to The Salvation Army ARC in Minneapolis
Steve was “pretty bewildered” at first after coming into the ARC. Steve fought the idea that he was ordered by the court to be at the ARC. But he realized that as it was in his old business, he was stuck in analyzing things…and now he was hung up on having to be at the ARC for 180 days. “I’m a numbers guy”.
Over 100 days into the program, Steve had already begun to think differently. “I used to be one of those people who would say I can count the number of good days I have had on my hands…and I can’t say that anymore because they are getting better and better and better.”
“I’m not hung up on analyzing things any more. I’m just hung up on getting better and being the best person that I can be. I had to surrender to God. I had never done that before. I started reading the bible for the first time. I read the New Testament first.
Steve is a great example of a steady and strong work ethic. He has found it very rewarding to talk with the young guys that he is working with in the ARC’s call center. He adds stability and professionalism to the call center. He claims that his level of patience is better than ever before. “For the first time I can be there for someone for more than just one day.”
Steve recently gave his testimony in front of the ARC’s Advisory Council stating the following:
“Once somebody hits forty-five it’s hard for one to come back. I passed that mark awhile back and I’m not young anymore….but I have come to understand that all of the time I had wasted on thinking about what I’d lost was just a waste of time.”
“I had just done my 5th step with a counselor….and was working on my inventory.
This was the most incredible feeling that I have ever had in my life…to have the removal of this stuff from me. It felt like someone had literally come into my body and I could feel the motion of the stuff being pulled out of me. I am in awe of that, almost to a tear today. A lot of it had to do with my parents. It has been an incredible emotional ride for me the past couple of weeks.”
Steve went on to report, “I have started to put effort into the program and I have a belief in God now. Court appearances have been turned over to God. I have another one coming up and I may have to return to prison…but I know that everything will be OK!
My kids are back in my life now and I am trying to be what God wants me to be”