A TLC employee, who has been in our program for some 3 1/2 years, flew back to his hometown last week to face the music. He walked into the courtroom with some anxiety, not knowing whether the judge would take him into custody and put him in jail for old warrants.
After all, he'd been before the same judge a few times and didn't show back up after being released on his own recognizance. He hadn't had a driver's license for over 20 years and had been ticketed 33 times for driving without a license.
However, the judge was impressed that he had flown to Ohio from Arizona to face the consequences of his past behavior and didn't take him into custody. Instead, she took what money he had and let him make payment arrangements for the balance of his fines.
He was excited about the outcome because for the first time in two decades he'll soon be able to drive again - this time legally.
This man's experience is an example of what happens when someone sticks around the program and stays sober for a few years. Over 3 1/2 years ago he and his wife, not knowing anything about TLC or Arizona, took a long bus ride from the Midwest into an unknown future. They both ended up working for TLC, eventually got their own apartment, and reunited with their teenage daughter.
Both of them say that the first few months weren't easy. They were in a new climate and a new environment where they didn't know anybody. But they were determined to recover from their heroin addiction, to do whatever they had to do to change their lives, no matter how uncomfortable they were.
And this man's successful encounter with the justice system last week shows that their determination paid off.
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