Dennis, 48, from Levittown, PA, will graduate in April 2024 from Adult & Teen Challenge Ohio Valley’s year-long program. Every area of his life has improved since he arrived.
He was referred by a chaplain at the prison. “Right after prison, I came to Teen Challenge to finish out the year program here,” Dennis said. He was open-minded but also a little apprehensive, and unsure about the faith-based elements of the program. “I grew an understanding of it and to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior,” Dennis said.
His substance abuse dates back to his teen years. He started drinking at 13. It was a way to deal with the child abuse and sexual abuse he suffered as well as the death of his sister. “My father and uncle both owned bars and so from a young age I was influenced by the whole bar scene,” Dennis explained. His addiction progressed to other substances, culminating in methamphetamines.
He attended church growing up but found a more tight-knit atmosphere at ATCOV. Within his first few months in the program, he knew it was the right place for him. Dennis points to HOPE Counseling as what made that connection for him. “They helped me see why I was masking my issues with drugs and alcohol,” he said. “They showed me ways of dealing and coping with my issues and problems in a more positive way instead of with substances.”
Those positive methods include meditation and stepping back and evaluating a situation — “looking at things from a different observation point.”
Even though he’s graduating, he’s sticking around. “I’m staying on as an intern,” Dennis said. “I’ll be working in the kitchen and also doing custodial work.”
He wants to give back and help some of the new men coming into the program. “Other interns that have been in front of me and they kind of paved the path and showed me the way to give back to this community,” Dennis said.
Staying at the facility will also help further his recovery. Longer term, he’s still deciding his plans. Before he got into legal trouble, Dennis worked in aviation for 13 years, refueling and deicing airplanes at the airport.
As he nears graduation, Dennis says he feels better spiritually, emotionally, and physically. “Spiritually, I’ve grown tremendously,” he said. “I’m more optimistic and open to trusting in the Lord.”
He has more confidence and he’s making amends with his children — two sons and two daughters — ranging from 20 to 26 years old. “They’re actually talking to me again,” Dennis said, adding that they’re happy about the progress he’s made in his life.
ATCOV has given Dennis a new perspective. “I’m very appreciative of the program, Pastor Bob, and the counselors here at HOPE Counseling,” Dennis said. “Without them, I don’t think I would have succeeded especially with the path I was going. They showed me that there was another fork in the road, that I didn’t have to go down that negative path.”
