"Addiction was all about me," he says. "And I was a miserable person. Now, I'm working toward my degree so I can help others who are in that situation. The most rewarding thing about giving back is seeing other people grow. Helping them do the hard work and get better—there's no better gift."
For his final year of studies, Alex is grateful to have received a scholarship funded by Sony Corporation of America, which is helping veterans like him succeed at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School.
"It's truly amazing that Sony is supporting veterans in this way," he says. "Veterans have sacrificed so much and many struggle with substance use. This scholarship is a way to help people like me turn their life around and then help someone else just like them. Sony is doing a huge service."
Alex struggled with substance use for 28 years, beginning shortly after he and his family survived a traumatic terror attack when he was about 10. After college, he tried his hand at different careers until deciding to join the Navy.
"I graduated from officer candidacy school and got a commission," he explains. "I had top secret clearance. My perspective was, ‘A year ago I was an addict, now nothing can stop me.' But my ego ended up costing me my career in the Navy."
In the years that followed, Alex was in and out of detox units and treatment centers. He got into trouble with the law and experienced homelessness. Finally, he had what he calls "a spiritual experience," and made the decision on his own to go back to treatment.
"I decided I had to stop listening to myself and start listening to people who worked there, who knew better," he recalls. "I saw my counselor had a diploma from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School and I asked her about it. The seed was planted." Alex got back on his feet with help from Warrior Homes of Collier and he resolved to pay it forward by becoming a counselor himself.
Once Alex enrolled in the Graduate School, he never looked back. "Once I began, I've felt nothing but love from the staff, the professors, the students in my cohort," he says. "They say that the opposite of addiction is connection, and I have found a strong community with immense connection through the Graduate School. We're part of something bigger here."
Alex notes that the warm welcome he received in the Graduate School motivated him to be the best student he can be. And the scholarship he received from Sony Corporation of America is seeing him through to the finish—so he can share the connection with more people as an addiction and mental health counselor.
