At age 23, Dalton was homeless, starving, and waking in ditches wishing to die. He got sober—then went blind—but still says life has never been better.
Because recovery didn’t just save his life… it gave him a reason to live.
I was only 23 years old at the time. My job consisted of begging for change in front of a 7-Eleven or a liquor store, eating out of trash cans. Every single day I woke up wishing to die. I'd burned every bridge in my life, both the relationships with my mother and father at the time, and my stepfamily. I lost my music career, dropped out of high school, and suffered multiple health consequences. I was in and out of Baltimore Washington Hospital ten times in one year, as well as multiple treatment centers.
My name is Dalton. I'm an alcoholic addict, and an alumnus of Avenues Recovery Center at Concord. I came here for extended treatment after attending Avenues Recovery Center at Prince Frederick in Maryland. I took the suggestions of my counselors and decided to come up to Avenues at Concord, and my life continued to get better. I actually got here on my birthday, and it was the best birthday gift I could have ever given myself.
My life did not get any easier. I went blind 14 months sober, and my vision will never come back. But I still feel so much better than that scared kid that used to wake up every morning in front of that liquor store begging for change. Or waking up in ditches or vacant houses… It's just a true gift to be alive and sober.
You know, I didn't have a relationship with my father for 10 years. My life kept getting better and better each day, and I never would have imagined this would happen. My dad offered me to come live with him. I turned him down because my life here is so good today. The community, and all of the tools that they gave me to help me build a new way of life - I wouldn't give it up for the world.
The care and effort that the staff invests in every single thing they do is phenomenal.
My name is Dalton. I found my way home, and you can find your way home too.