Victory Auto Service - April 2021

Victory Auto Service - April 2021

APRIL 2021

A Connection That Saved My Life THE TRUE STORY OF ROLANDO RUIZ Victory Auto Service is proud to support MN Adult & Teen Challenge (MNATC), a

As a dealer, I liked that people wanted to be around me. I didn’t get high at first, but then I started using weed all the time, just to escape. Then, I fell into hallucinogens and methamphetamine. I got kicked out of school, and I turned to crime to make money. It felt like the only path available to me. I like saying I wasn’t a good criminal — I kept going to jail. But, sadly, prison time was a “rite of passage” for my family. They’d tell me, “Good job, you didn’t snitch on no one.” I’d take the consequences for family members and be congratulated for it. I spent all of my 20s locked up — I just figured that crime, jail, and getting out would be the normal cycle in my life. The courts sent me to various addiction recovery programs, but nothing worked for me. I tried to clean up to please society or a girlfriend, but when I finally got a job, a car, and sobriety, whenever I was alone, I knew something was wrong and felt off. I built myself up and threw it all away because I didn’t know how to handle change. So, after being busted again, I pleaded with the judge, “Just give me 90 days.” For me, it was just another round. He looked at me incredulously and said, “If you go to MN Adult & Teen Challenge, I’ll let you go here and now.”

MN Adult & Teen Challenge changed my life. Little by little, I discovered how much God means to me, and that shaped my entire vision for my future. I used to be extremely suspicious whenever anyone would ask me about how I’m doing. I’d ask myself: Why do they care? What’s the payoff for them? But, with MNATC, I realized that I was the payoff, and nothing else. I never paid to be in their program; their generous love, support, and guidance were free to me because of donors and supporters. There was a time when I took a break from the facility to attend a family barbecue. My family congratulated me for doing so well at MNATC. My family was still getting high and drinking, and they’d tell me I didn’t have to use drugs to sell them. It was extremely confusing. I got high when I got back to treatment. I told the staff, “I don’t know who I am. I want to be accepted by my family, but I’m not living how they do.” I expected to be kicked out. Thankfully, the staff saw the turmoil I was in, and I didn’t get kicked out. I asked why, and they said, “There are people who believe in you.” I’d never heard that so sincerely before.

local faith-based addiction recovery program, and today, we have a special story from someone who experienced their 13-month program. Rolando has inspired us so much! We are honored he would share his story with the Victory Auto family. Stories like Rolando’s are why we are passionate about being involved with our local community. Hello, everyone. I’m Rolando! When I was born, my mother was incarcerated for drug use and illegal activity. You could say I was born in a prison, and unfortunately, that saying was prophetic for the life I’d lead in the upcoming years. I thought it was normal to not feel wanted at home. I always had to live with family members who were drinking, abusing drugs, and abusing each other mentally, emotionally, and physically. Rejection was a constant in my life; I never understood what a secure home felt like. That’s when I felt pushed into the streets and the wrong crowds — without knowing it, I needed to find what I was looking for. Although I wanted emotional intimacy and connection, drugs were easier to get a hold of. For example, I started babysitting my sister’s kids, and she’d pay me in weed. She told me I could sell it, so I did and became a dealer.

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Hello friend, I’m Rich Scherber, executive director of MN Adult & Teen Challenge (MNATC) and friend of Victory Auto Service. When I was 12 years old, I was a drug addict and heading down a path to a premature death. Eventually, I was able to get help and turn my life around. But not everyone is so fortunate. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, each year, 1 in 4 adults will suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. This immediately puts them at addiction risk. The National Bureau of Economic Research reports that people who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder at some point in their lives are responsible for the consumption of 69% of alcohol, and 84% of cocaine in the U.S. From July 2019 to July 2020, overdose deaths increased by 22.8% according to >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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