Can People Change? Recovering Addicts Make A Difference
June 25, 2014

Can people change?  No matter the situation occurring in life, people may find themselves asking this question often.  It is always refreshing when someone who usually gets represented by their previous mistakes can overcome the stigma of their past problems and give back to the world in a positive way.  When it comes to addicts/alcoholics finding their way in recovery, they may find themselves asking, “Can people change through recovery?”  When there is honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, the answer is yes.

Can People Change? Addict Saves Child

Many often wonder, “Can people change?”  Well, what would you do if you were driving down the highway and all of a sudden spotted a toddler?  In this very real scenario for Bryant Collins, getting the child away from traffic was instinctual.  Interestingly enough, the man happens to have been in recovery for five years after being jailed for 10 years as a result of cocaine-related charges!  Collins stopped the car, approached this little two-year-old girl, and called the emergency line on his phone.  After a couple hours, police came to the scene and later discovered that the young toddler waddled away from home by 300 yards.  As for the consequences for the parents who lacked proper supervision of the child, the girl’s father, Timothy Pickens, was slammed with charges involving child cruelty, as well as reckless conduct and obstruction, while the mother’s penalty has not yet been stated at this time.  Good thing Collins was on the highway that day!  Can people change or what?  This is concrete proof that the stigma of addiction can be wrong.  The story is even more heart-warming because prior to officials arriving, Collins sang Gospel music to the child to calm her from crying.  Collins went on to say, “Just as you can do bad, you can do good.”

Recovering addicts help school

Giving back isn’t always confined to the extremity of salvaging a life.  It can be something as simple and yet rewarding as helping out a local school, which is what the group “Better Life In Recovery” decided to do with Springfield Public Schools in Missouri.  The group, which provides awareness and rejoices in the recovery of addicts, plans on assisting an elementary school with painting their playground.   Renovating the Sunshine Elementary entailed fixing the swings, basketball hoops, and structures within the playground on the property.  The man in charge of the group, Dave Stoecker, has been clean for more than two decades and is vocal about the changes he has made throughout his life in recovery.  He proclaimed, “The person I am today gives back.”  Other recovering addicts like Stoecker believe they have changed as a result of getting clean, but fret over the judgement of others because of their history of drug use.  The feelings of apprehension were put to rest when the school graciously welcomed and thanked the group affiliated with recovering addicts for their time spent reconstructing their playground.

So, can people change?  Yes, they certainly can! The beauty of being in recovery is that addicts and alcoholics are given the opportunity to look at where they display defects in their character and work on improving them to become the humane person they were meant to be before getting wrapped up in a seemingly never-ending addiction that smothered them from the life beyond their wildest dreams.