SALISBURY, Md.- Today, 67 year old Oliver is grateful to be watering his plants, but for a long time he battled a debilitating drug addiction.
Originally from Baltimore, he says that when he first arrived in the Salisbury area he felt lost.
"In Baltimore we have like 24-hour recovery networks. No matter what time a night it is you can always reach somebody, and I didn't know what to do down here," he said.
This was only one of Oliver's relapses, but his battle with drugs such as heroin dates further back and it all began with a devastating loss.
"I had three brothers that got killed in Baltimore, and I felt really down. It was offered to me and it took away the bad feelings," he said.
That moment marked his downward spiral, and rugs, an escape he constantly sought. Oliver says he can't believe the extremes he went to in order to buy the drugs.
"I would steal cars and sell the wheels or I would just go do daily work, a lot of times walk off the job. I couldn't keep any money," he said.
A counselor once asked him what the worse thing he stole from his mother was. His answer was a wakeup call.
"My answer to the question what's the worst thing you stole from your mother, was her son. That's what kind of woke me up a little bit more," he said.
The last straw before Oliver sought help was an encounter with another addict who told him to seek help, he did, here is his message.
"Till you tell someone where you're hurting or how you're hurting, they don't know exactly where to help you and that's what I had to do."
Today Oliver works for Lower Shore Enterprises as a custodial supervisor. He's in charge of placing those with disabilities and says he loves his job, more importantly he's grateful for a second chance.
For more information on the opiod crisis and how you can be part of the solution, click here.
