The Story of Eric

I noticed Eric as he was simultaneously doing the dishes and greeting everyone who walked in and out of the door. I recognized his high character and knew he had a story I had to hear. I asked him for an interview and he happily accepted. Eric moved to Pensacola as an adult right as 9/11 was occurring. He explained to me that his first memory in Pensacola was pushing through a herd of people watching a public TV to figure out what was going on. Eric’s early adult life was very hard, struggling with addictions to both alcohol and drugs. He gave me the very common but valid advice of “don’t do drugs,” advising me to “look at the people you see who have used drugs”. He further warned me about the newfound fear of fentanyl and the further risk that using mainstream drugs has due to the abundance of the substance. Eric admitted to me that it’s “so hard to come back (from addiction).” From there, we switched the subject to Bright Bridge and the work they’ve done in his life. He bragged on the foundation for doing such a tremendous job of providing classes to help improve the quality of life. Eric mentioned participating in a “Character class” in which he found “what kind of person I am now that I’m off drugs”. Eric is now working for the foundation while applying to jobs across the city, hoping for the right one to complete his mission of turning his life around.