Daniel Jones

Daniel had a bumpy life from the start. He grew up in low-income housing on the Illinois side of St. Louis. Due to the poverty level, Daniel had to use his street smarts to survive.

By the time he was 15 years old, he was a young alcoholic. After a stint in a rock band, he moved to Missouri. He was not making enough money on stage to pay for all the alcohol he was consuming. Daniel stopped drinking after a car accident. His new crutch was prescription painkillers.At this time, Daniel was married with two small children. The marriage was dead from the start, but he tried to keep it together for the sake of the children. His wife continuously accused him of using methamphetamine.Daniel’s thought was, “Since she does not know the difference in my behavior, I might as well use meth.”  This led to a downhill spiral—Daniel would be arrested, released on probation and violate again. The pattern continued.In 2017, Daniel and his wife divorced. He was homeless and jobless in a town where the only people that he knew were his ex-wife’s family—and they hated him. This location was so remote that getting a job or getting to his Parole Officer was nearly impossible.Daniel dove deeper into substance abuse as well as manufacturing and distributing illegal drugs. Somehow, Daniel was able to stay off the radar and not get charged with drug offenses, but he did violate his probation and was sent to jail. Daniel spent three months in the county jail with the possibility of spending 8 to 10 years in prison. He defended himself and was able to get his sentence down to four months in the Department of Corrections without treatment.During this time, Daniel’s girlfriend gave birth to their baby boy. Finally, Daniel put his life in God’s hands and was prepared for prison. He wrote a letter to the judge and told him that he wanted to go to a sober living program. He told him that if he were to go to prison, he would be released back to homelessness, joblessness, and the probability of running back to drugs; he needed a solid foundation.On Daniel’s next court date, he was called up to court with acceptance letters for the New Beginning Sanctuary Sober Living/Recovery Program as well as a public defender in his corner. He was released to NBS that day and ordered to be cautious—he was ordered to return for sentencing in three months at which time he could still be sent to prison. Three months later Daniel returned to court for his sentencing.His fiancée and new baby were by his side. Daniel was expecting prison but hoping and praying for release. He had letters from his counselor, his program director, and his boss. To the astonishment of Daniel and his fiancée, the judge overturned the ruling on his case, stating, “Daniel was a victim of his own success.” Daniel was sentenced to complete the recovery program in which he was enrolled. Two months later, he became a house manager at NBS and started in the New Pathways for Good Dads program. He kept expecting the worst, but it never came! 2020 was a big year for Daniel. His relationship with his children from his first marriage has been restored. In February, Daniel married Jessica, the mother of his third child. Together they have gotten sober and have remained sober. In March, Daniel graduated from the New Beginning Sanctuary program. He also completed all requirements for the New Pathways for Good Dads program and will be graduating from the NPGD program this summer. Daniel also landed a job at an auto repair shop.Daniel states, “I have a new family and an unbelievable life that I’ve never had before. I am not rich, but I am not where I was before. I have an awesome family and support system. I get to see my kids whenever I want. I even went into the courtroom and thanked the judge for giving me the opportunity to make something of myself. Doing this renewed his faith that people can change, programs can work, and people can recover and become someone if they just open their minds.”Take the chance. Try. Have faith in yourself.