Gene
From the priority area Community Wellness

Gene’s life was out of control. Caught up in drugs and alcohol, he lived in and out of shelters and detoxification programs for years. “I knew that my life was either jail or death,” Gene says.

More than ten years later, Gene can now sit back and reflect on how his life was unraveling and how he got it back in control at the Lebanon Pines facility of the Southeastern Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (SCADD). SCADD provides a variety of treatment services for individuals and their families struggling to overcome alcohol and drug abuse. There are numerous group meetings available for individuals along with one-on-one sessions with an assigned counselor. Beyond counseling, Lebanon Pines helps individuals sharpen their skills in other areas through a computer lab, mechanics and carpenter shops, and training for the GED.

At Lebanon Pines, Gene found a completely new environment, far-removed from his former city street life. With buildings connected by small dirt roads, grass, trees and rolling hills stretch as far as the eye can see. But it’s not simply about getting into a new environment, it’s about getting to the root of the problem. “SCADD gave me a chance to get into my head, to see where my life was going,” Gene says. “And that was the scary part. I had to see me.”

“They have good counselors here and they give you the tools,” Gene continues. “You can get and give all the advice in the world, but you have to want to do it for yourself.”

Today, you can still find Gene at Lebanon Pines but not for counseling. Since 1991, Gene has been working there full-time as the Food Manager. “He’s come a long way,” says Bill Sugden, director of Lebanon Pines. “To go from a resident to an employee is a credit to Gene. Now he’s a role model for the other guys here.”

Gene does all the food and supplies ordering to feed 160 people three times a day at three halfway houses. In the kitchen he supervises 25 people who are current residents of the program and are required to perform work therapy. “You have to be compassionate for what the guys are going through, but hard-nosed at the same time,” Gene explains.

“Bill must have seen something in me when he hired me,” Gene humbly says. “To be somewhere, at the same job for twelve years is too much. Before I used to work to get high, now I work for a reason.” Gene now owns a home that he shares with his wife. He recently voted for the first time in his life. And he volunteers in the schools and neighborhood he once haunted by speaking to kids about the dangers of drugs. “I did so much damage that I want to try and do some good,” Gene explains. “You have to go back to your old community and try to break the chain.”