Greg speaks of sneaking cigarettes out of his father's closet, and stealing a nip of Jack Daniels at 9 years old. He was determined to learn to drink. It was part of growing up, part of fitting in. He went to good schools and had good jobs. But when he came out of the closet as a gay man at 21 and fell into a gay nightclub scene, drugs took over his life - especially cocaine and speed. At worst, he was down to 130 pounds, paranoid with visual and auditory psychoses. He remembers painfully what it was like to be awake four days and wanting to sleep, wanting to eat, and not being able to. "Speed tears you to pieces," he commented.
A systems analyst, he moved West where his boss, a recovering alcoholic, intervened. He gave Greg three weeks off to attend a Kaiser outpatient program eight hours a day in classes and Twelve Step meetings. Next came four months of night classes after work. And then relapse. (Fortunately, Kaiser gave him another chance and referred him to Harbor Light Center, where he is now Finance Manager.) A second chance to Celebrate Recovery.
The Salvation Army is continuously growing to meet the needs of the people who walk through its doors. San Francisco's Harbor Light Center recently began "Celebrate Recovery", an informal gathering during which people celebrate God's presence in their lives through the twelve steps. Folks gather in fellowship every Friday night from 6 to 9 p.m.
For more information about The Salvation Army's recovery programs, please email recovery@tsagoldenstate.org or log onto www.sfharborlight.org.