Success Stories
"The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow."
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Boulware's Impact
Tim, from Union County
Tim is a 35-year-old male who has lived in Union County his entire life. He was referred to Boulware Mission by the Union County Family Court. His persistent use of prescription pain pills had resulted in him being banned from seeing his young son. Tim came to Boulware extremely angry at the world!
His display of hostile behaviors toward the staff had to be dealt with immediately. One of our Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors initiated a crisis intervention session that resulted in Tim adjusting his attitude and behaviors and agreeing to proceed into the drug and alcohol treatment program.
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Once into the treatment program, Tim began to understand how his continued drug use had caused him to lose everything he valued in his life. He had never completed high school, was in the process of an emotional divorce, could have no contact with his son, and was no longer welcomed in his parent's home. During Tim's stay at Boulware, he not only completed the addiction treatment program but also learned many essential life skills by attending our financial literacy, family living, and employments skills classes.
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Tim returned to Union County where he was re-hired by a former employer. The family court judge allowed him to have supervised visits with his son, with the long-term goal of achieving shared custody. Tim has since completed 3 months of aftercare addiction counseling at the Crittenden County Counseling Center, a Boulware Mission affiliate in Marion, KY. The struggle to remain drug-free is ongoing, but Tim continues to attend support group meetings. His motivation is to one day regain the love and trust of his family and to be a true father to his son.
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Todd, from Ohio County
Todd is a 25-year-old male who was referred to Boulware Mission through the Ohio County Circuit Court. He had been in and out of the court system since his teen years. Todd quit high school in his junior year. He says that he really just couldn't "get it together in school". He started smoking marijuana in the 7th grade when his older brother and friends invited him to share their joints. As his need for a stronger drug grew, Todd confessed that he took his grandmother's prescribed pain medication on several occasions. He also began committing petty thefts as a way to get money for his increasing drug addiction.
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Todd had never heard of Boulware when he was standing before the judge on that day, but this particular judge had experience with the Boulware Mission program and recommended Todd complete the addiction treatment program and remain at the mission a minimum of 100 days. If he completed these requirements, the judge would re-evaluate his case. That's when Todd's second chance began!
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Todd soaked in all the information he could during his stay at Boulware. He successfully completed the addiction treatment program while also learning many essential life skills, such as how to manage his money and how to obtain and keep steady employment. He also connected with the Owensboro Technical College Adult Education program where he was evaluated for his GED aptitude. Todd was allowed to return to Ohio County after his 107 days at Boulware Mission. He is still held accountable as a condition of his employment, attends the weekly BMI aftercare meeting, and is working toward obtaining his GED.
John, from Webster County
John is a 51-year-old, 25-year resident of Webster County who has a long history of alcohol abuse. In his own words, he doesn't remember a time in his life when he wasn't "sad". John is a former client of Boulware Mission, residing here for 101 days in 2016 and then returning to Webster County. He has some relatives that live nearby, but only rarely sees them. He says that they are no support in his struggle to overcome alcoholism because "they all drink too much too".
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John completed the Boulware Mission Addiction Treatment program in 2016 and successfully completed a three-month aftercare counseling program at our Crittenden County Counseling Center. However, during the Christmas holidays, John relapsed and ended up being arrested. John knew he needed to return to Boulware and address his chronic disease once again. He knew what needed to be done; but he also recognized that he needed a sober, supportive environment in order to achieve sustained sobriety.
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John resided at the Mission in 2017 for 137 days. While back, he obtained a steady job and learned how to budget and save his money. He attended daily AA meetings and became an active mentor for other men living at Boulware who were also struggling with alcoholism. John attended Bible study groups held at the Mission and found his faith in God to be his primary "rock" for his newfound joy in living. He has once again returned to Webster County where he continues to attend AA and has connected with a local church that has become his "new family".
Tyler, from McLean County
Tyler is a 23-year-old who grew up in McLean County. After graduating from high school, he went right to work in the family business. Other than showing up to work, Tyler had no commitments and saw no harm in "a little fun" now and then. He dabbled in recreational drug use until he craved more and more drugs to "keep him motivated". He eventually found himself addicted to Meth, being arrested, and in deep trouble. It was his probation and parole officer who referred this young man to Boulware Mission. At the time of his admission, Tyler was in need of a lot of help.
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In addition to needing treatment for his drug addiction, he was lacking some other life skills. Boulware's program is a long-term commitment where clients attend both licensed addiction treatment and life skills classes simultaneously. During his stay at Boulware, Tyler attended Financial Literacy classes where he learned about managing a budget, his credit, and distinguishing his "wants" from his "needs". He also attended a series of Family Living classes where he learned how to establish meaningful relationships with the family that he had been alienating due to his drug use. Even though Tyler had a full-time job, he had little knowledge about the proper behaviors a person must display in employment, and Boulware's Employment Skills class opened his eyes to a lot.
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While at Boulware, Tyler completed all of his program requirements and learned a lot about accountability. He was granted the right to return home to his current job but only with the continued requirement to attend Boulware's weekly Aftercare meetings for a year. Tyler is young and needs lots of support in order to resist the temptation of returning to his old friends and "party life". But he now has the knowledge of how to resist and the accountability of a weekly support group with random drug testing. He understands the long-term consequences if he makes the wrong decisions. The goal everyone has for Tyler is for him to become stronger each day in his new way of living.
Robert, from Henderson County
Robert has been a staple at the Boulware Mission for over 2 years. He was born and raised in Henderson, KY where he lived with his family. He worked various jobs after graduating high school but had a substance abuse problem that kept him from any permanent employment. Eventually, he divorced twice and became estranged from his son and daughter. He lost everything he had due to drugs and depression and ended up on the streets of Henderson for over 8 years.
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After several run-ins with the law and serving jail time, Robert was given a second chance to turn his life around and sent to Boulware Mission. Although court-ordered, Robert was ready to make a change in his life for the better and decided to follow everything by the book. After two years of therapy and rehabilitation, Robert was ready to celebrate his success by getting a place of his own. Eight years of homelessness plus two years at the Boulware Mission made him anxious to have his independence back. After an extended wait for public housing, he was finally able to move into his own apartment two months ago. When asked what it was like to be in his own place, Robert stated, “I’m lovin’ it! I quit doing any kind of drugs to get here and am very happy I made it.”
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Robert now volunteers part-time to do whatever is needed to keep this place running for others. He says, “Boulware gave me the tools I needed to stay clean and the life skills I needed to become independent. I really enjoy helping people and Boulware is like my second family."