The purpose of this site is to introduce myself to interested parties and to share my rehabilitation to anyone interested in the plight of the homeless in our society. Throughout my life I have always felt that there is some important purpose to life and I felt driven to make something of myself. I have always had goals. About thirteen years ago, I was a graduate student in East Asian Chinese studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson, a veteran of the armed forces, eagle scout and model law abiding citizen. I was driven to go somewhere but I really didn't know where. While I firmly believed that it was important to 'make it' in life, I'm not exactly sure what that means. I have a pretty good idea however, that the way I was living my last 12 years was not it. By any standards in this world, the life of a street heroin addict is not the american dream, in fact it is almost universally agreed upon that it is about as low as a human can sink. The funny thing was that at the time, I didn't really find it that unpleasant. As I look back on the experience from my current situation, only then do I recoil at the memory of my daily struggle. I can't believe I went through it. I think few people from my background have experienced that side of society and are in a position to tell about it.

That is exactly what I intend to do. You may ask yourself, "what is it I want to accomplish by telling this story". To be frank, I am still trying to make it in this world. By telling my story, I hope to attract attention to my goals. Martin Luther King once said; "Judge me not by my position in life, but from the depths from which I have risen."

Do you sympathize with my plight? Are you eager to see people rise above their circumstances in life? If so, maybe you can help me. How can you help me? Follow my story. Talk to your friends about my story. Send me words of encouragement and point me in the right direction if you feel inspired to do so. I welcome all advice and recomendations. Maybe you know someone who has struggled with homelessness or substance abuse. In many respects, my story is their story, any success I may achieve can be their success. Help me prove that it can be done. It is possible to bounce back from a stint among society's most miserable. Right now, my biggest challenge is employment. I am not the only one with our economy being what it is right now. I make no excuses. I am determined to succeed.

The Taoist philosophy claims that weaknesses can be strengths. In that spirit I hope to take what many would consider a failure and convert it into a strength. Could I be so presumptuous as to suggest that my years living on the streets and surviving the daily struggle of a street drug addict gives me unique survival skills that I hope to adapt to a mainstream productive lifestyle. Will I be successfull? Only time will tell. In the mean time, keep following this post.

Thank you, we will talk more later.

Doug Calhoun