Kevin Discovers Harbor Care Was What He Needed to Get His Strength Back

Kevin grew up in Chicago in a middle-class family and was involved in a lot of sports; mainly football and swimming. His dad was an alcoholic. Fortunately, his mom was fantastic and keep things stable for him. Kevin described himself as an average student through high school and college. He graduated with his degree in law enforcement administration with the goal of becoming a police officer. While Kevin was applying for the police department, he spent many years working in private security guarding celebrities.

While in college, Kevin met a girl and they later married and had three children. The marriage ended in divorce, and he hasn’t had much contact with his kids, who are now in their twenties. “I had my vices”, says Kevin. “It started off with having a couple beers as a kid and experimenting with marijuana. This continued through college.”

Kevin ended his pursuit of a career in law enforcement and got hired at a steel company where he worked his way up to plant manager. After the death of his father and grandmother, Kevin started to drift. “I started using a lot to escape,” recalled Kevin. Looking for a fresh start, Kevin moved to California and got into a recovery program. He got hired at the L.A. Times where he worked for 7 years before getting laid off. He got another job and was experiencing anxiety and depression and started using alcohol and marijuana to medicate. “My body was breaking down,” says Kevin. He ended up in the hospital where he stayed for two months.

The hospital case workers told Kevin about Harbor Care and he agreed to come. “After the first hour, I texted my friend and said ‘I’m tapping out. Come and get me out of here,’” Kevin recalled. “It was an overreaction. The staff were angels. They went out of their way to make me comfortable and help me get stronger.” Kevin is glad he stayed and credits the camaraderie amongst the residents and the compassion of the staff for his change of heart.

Kevin had the time he needed to line up a room to rent and leaves Harbor Care stronger. He has a new primary care doctor and a lot of follow up appointments to look forward to. He is focused on getting healthy and back into the workforce.