![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/make-the-connection.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis Vietnam Veteran found strength in sobriety<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff found himself on the street, asleep under a bridge with a 40-ounce bottle of beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had gone through a divorce; lost his kids \u2014 and his job. \u201cThere were times where I felt totally abandoned,\u201d he says. \u201cI had been a family man all my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a member of the U.S. Air Force police, Jeff helped guard airplanes. He had always been a partier, but after losing the most important thing in his life \u2014 his family \u2014 drinking changed from something social into a way to forget how his life had turned out. \u201cWhen I got on the streets and thought everything was lost, [alcohol] became my way out,\u201d says Jeff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When he decided that enough was enough, Jeff went to his local VA. \u201cWhen I got in there, I went through the program,\u201d he says. \u201cI was gonna be steadfast. I was gonna stand strong. And I fell down. I started drinking again. I ended up back on the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through these setbacks, Jeff persevered. He reached out for support once again \u2014 and this time, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder<\/a> and anxiety<\/a>. He entered a high-intensity, yearlong rehab program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey really take interest in you, and they really are concerned about what you\u2019re about to go through,\u201d Jeff says. \u201cThere are people out there that devote their lives to service of other human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are people out there that devote their lives to service of other human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The treatment helped Jeff understand why he was turning to alcohol. \u201cThat was why I continued to drink: because every time I started feeling anxious, it calmed me down, I thought<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Jeff is reconnected with his family. \u201cAll three of my children talk to me now. It means everything in the world to me,\u201d he says. \u201cI have my family back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Does this sound like someone you know? There is help. See the <\/strong>\u201cHow Can I get Help?\u201d <\/strong>section in this publication and make the call\u2026.. Get them started on a path of \u201cHelp and Hope\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This Vietnam Veteran found strength in sobriety Jeff found himself on the street, asleep under a bridge with a 40-ounce bottle of beer. He had gone through a divorce; lost his kids \u2014 and his job. \u201cThere were times where I felt totally abandoned,\u201d he says. \u201cI had been a family man all my life.\u201d […]\n","protected":false},"author":838,"featured_media":3516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3514"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/838"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3514"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3514\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3517,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3514\/revisions\/3517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veteranshelpnet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}