After the Army

After three years in Germany serving in the Army, Jeremiah moved back to the United States to be with his wife and family.

But he had a hard time once out of the military.

“It was very tough. I was definitely drinking,” Jeremiah said. “Working in construction, I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I used that as an excuse for my drinking.”

When Jeremiah’s company shut down and he received unemployment, his drinking began to negatively affect his life.

Journey to Sobriety

For years, Jeremiah went in and out of rehabs, becoming clean and then relapsing again. During a period of almost 10 years sober, he received his Associate’s Degree in Human Services and Bachelor’s Degree in Substance Abuse.

Then, when he had just enrolled to get his Master’s Degree in Counseling, he started drinking again and ended up going to jail for a few years due to some poor choices. In 2020, after he served his time in prison, he moved into one of HVAF’s houses.

“(While in prison) I got involved with HVAF because I needed help trying to figure some stuff out and get my life back on track,” Jeremiah said.

After a short period of sobriety, he began drinking again and moved out of HVAF. In 2021, he went to Landmark Recovery and after 44 days of treatment, Jeremiah has now been sober for two years!

HVAF & Next Steps

And while he thought his chances of receiving his Master’s was over, he was able to go back to school and get his degree. During that time, Jeremiah reached back out to HVAF and joined the VetWorks Workforce Development program. He spent Phase 1 in an internship at Recovery Café, completed recovery coach training in Phase 2, and his employment specialist helped him with job searching in Phase 3.

Today, Jeremiah works full time at Landmark – where he last successfully completed rehab. He is helping those who are in the position he’s been in. He said his ultimate goal is to use his education and experience to serve veterans.

“Working with HVAF has strengthened my desire to work with veterans,” Jeremiah said. “I wouldn’t be sitting here if it wasn’t for VA and HVAF.”

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