Instilling Change: Leslie Goldsmith

Leslie grew up in a home marked by instability and abuse. His father was physically abusive, and his mother was abusive emotionally and mentally making life at home very challenging. Leslie's parents would leave for months at a time, leaving he and his siblings at home unattended. His older sister was forced to step up and raise him. One of Leslie's earliest childhood memories is of his sister standing him on the kitchen counter so he could stir scrambled eggs while she cooked bacon on the other side of the stove, ensuring he would not get burned by the grease. His sister was only a child herself, but she did everything she could to care for him. Despite the difficulties of their childhood, Leslie's five sisters became the source of love and stability that he remembers most from that time.

As an adult, Leslie joined the United States Army where he served for eleven years. When his military career unexpectedly ended, Leslie struggled to adjust to civilian life. He had two children during this time. Unfortunately, he turned to drugs and eventually became involved in criminal activity that led to eight years of incarceration.

During incarceration, Leslie became determined to change the direction of his life. While participating in treatment through Offender Community Corrections (OCC), he reconnected with an old miliary friend who helped inspire his recovery. This included committing himself to sobriety, getting baptized, and taking advantage of the programs available to him while incarcerated. By the end of his sentence, Leslie was facilitating some of the same classes that originally helped him rebuild his life.

Returning to the community presented new challenges. His biggest barriers were learning to trust people again, maintaining his sobriety, and adjusting to life outside of prison. After years of incarceration, he found himself questioning everyone's motives and struggling to believe that people genuinely wanted to help him. The first month after his release was difficult. This included joining the Second Chance program, where he still found it hard to trust others. However, things finally started to change when both his sisters and his children reached out to check on him.

Eventually, Leslie gained housing stability through the Veterans Affairs (VA) program. Once settled, many of his family members came to visit and celebrated Thanksgiving with him. This meant a great deal to him and reminded him that he had a family willing to support his recovery and future.

Leslie was skeptical of the Second Chance program at first, but through regular meetings with his resource specialist and participation in groups such as Conflict Resolution, he was eventually able to build his confidence, strengthen his communication skills, and begin to truly succeed. Success means many things for Leslie. He has replaced drugs and alcohol with a new hobby - shoe collecting! Leslie is also celebrating more than eighteen months of sobriety. He is most proud of the person he has become, including the relationships he has repaired and rebuilt. In addition, Leslie is currently pursuing a degree in social work with the goal of helping incarcerated veterans successfully return to their communities.

The moment Leslie is most looking forward to is watching his daughter play college volleyball. Before leaving for school, she mailed him one of her school's jerseys with "Dad" on the back. For Leslie, this jersey is a reminder of the relationships he has worked hard to repair and rebuild.

Leslie credits his family, Celebrate Recovery, his sponsor, and Second Chance with helping him rebuild his life. He leaves those facing a similar journey with one simple piece of advice: "Don't lose faith. Don't give up hope."