Patrick’s drinking started in the late 1960s and continued for nearly fifty years. He was part of a family of drinkers: his father, both grandfathers, and all of his siblings drank. Patrick often drank during social outings, where one or two drinks would turn into ten or twelve. While he did experience weeks or months without drinking, they were never spurred by a decision to permanently abstain. As a result, he would pick up another drink sooner or later.

But unlike his siblings who visibly struggled due to their drinking, he has been married since 1977, has two children and six grandchildren, and retired from a long career as a high school teacher preceded by a successful military career.

“I completed college degrees, owned three homes, and had a happy marriage. I had all of those criteria of success and so I felt that I didn’t have a problem,” Patrick shared.

The event that began his trajectory toward recovery was when his oldest brother (who had been sober for many years) was run over and killed by an intoxicated illegal alien. The young man who killed his brother eventually fled the country and avoided justice. As a result, Patrick became heavily involved in politics to work to reform illegal immigration policies. Years later in November of 2018, disappointed and frustrated with the implications of the congressional elections, Patrick began drinking heavily one night.

“I was drinking heavily and decided to go downstairs to get more alcohol but ended up going head first. It was a serious fall and I separated my shoulder. I haven’t had a drink since,” Patrick said.

Patrick explained that he easily could have been killed from the fall. And that it woke him up. He has been sober and in recovery for nearly two years. What Patrick would only realize after he started recovery was that there were other areas of his life that, though less visible and hidden by his outward successes, had been severely affected by his drinking.

“What has happened during these 21 months of recovery is having revelations of my failures or sins,” Patrick said. “And one of the biggest revelations is my failure as a husband and father and that is difficult to come to terms with and I think about it a lot. I was a maintenance husband and father and made sure the kids went to college and the bills were paid but when it came to being a loving human being there were shortcomings and I have to work through that.”

12-step meetings have been part of his recovery journey along with the Catholic Mass. While his involvement in the church fluctuated over the years, he never stopped having faith.

“I’m a cradle Catholic and married a devout Catholic. Many of my Baby Boomer peers kind of abandoned the faith when we were younger and only came back later. But I always knew there was something really meaningful and felt the church should be a part of my life. I never really lost faith and so when I started AA that didn’t change. I resolved to engage the Catholic faith on a deeper level,” Patrick said.

Patrick committed to going to either a meeting or Mass seven days a week as part of his recovery.

“I would do a seven-day recovery and do seven events, either Mass or a meeting,” Patrick said. “And so what I was doing up until March is I would go Mass three times a week and meetings four times or the reverse.”

Yet, when the lockdown struck in the spring of 2020 he knew that he needed to continue attending meetings. Searching for online meetings brought him to Catholic in Recovery. He also began listening to Mass at 12 pm (CST) with Father Rocky Hoffman on Relevant Radio.

“The people in my Catholic in Recovery meetings see faith as just as vital as I do if not more. They are very devoted,” Patrick said.

Patrick has been consistently attending weekly Catholic in Recovery meetings since.

“Thank God Scott and everyone else related to Catholic in Recovery is doing God’s work,” Patrick shared. “We alcoholic Catholics ain’t gonna be able to turn our will over to God by just saying it. We gotta live it and think about it and so the investment of our time in the faith is crucial. I don’t think I would have survived 21 months without frequenting the Catholic Mass and confession.”