Joe

Hey, I’m Joe. At the Mission, everyone treats me with respect and values my opinion. Now I’m back at work, doing what I enjoy, and making better decisions. When I look back, I realize how far I was from being a good citizen.

I grew up with a single mom who was always working. When I started acting out at 14, she was never there for my brother and me. It was easy to drink and smoke pot on weekends.

Once I learned the elevator trade, my life was steady for a while. When I got married, I felt more burdens and drank more. It interfered with driving and getting to work. Finally, when I landed in jail, my wife said, “I’ve had enough!”.

I’m a strong guy, but when I arrived at the Boston Rescue Mission, I was broke and broken—no kids, no wife, no job, and no home. After taking time to recover, I can look people in the eye and achieve my goals a little at a time. Mostly, I want to help others in recovery.