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“I was young and foolish and did what a lot of people do. Then it kind of got out of hand, and I realized that I needed to make some major changes.

“I got involved in a recovery program. I was fortunate to have a lot of people who guided me and helped change the way I lived.

“For the past 23 years, through my work as a substance abuse counselor with the Houston Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, I have tried to provide an example of what is possible.”

— Len Jeffcoat

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“I did drugs for about 15 years and considered myself an addict for about a year and a half. It started as experimentation as a kid, and it just progressed. When I hit meth, it got really bad.

“The lowest point was when I started to sacrifice morals by stealing. That’s when I just decided this is crazy behavior, I’ve got to stop. I did 12-step programs for a long time. Even though I’m not active in it now, that’s still the basis for my life. 

“Now I’m back at college studying to be a substance abuse counselor. It’s a place I probably should have been 20 years ago, but I guess I’ve come full circle. What better way to relate to somebody than through experience.

“Recently a therapist said to me, ‘You’re a brave man. Most people don’t want to go into that field because chemically addicted clients are very difficult to work with.’ But I know how they think. It’s one of those things that you just can’t understand unless you’ve been there. I think I’ve got an edge there.”

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