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“OK, now what?” That’s the question 40-year-old John Bakken was asking himself after being released from jail in April 2005. For 38 years of his life, he had been an average, law-abiding citizen. But in 2003, after working 15 years with the same company, John was laid off. He began “self-medicating” with methamphetamines and eventually found himself hooked, no longer caring about himself or anything else.
The fallout was devastating. As a result of his addiction, he lost his fiancé and eventually his home. Far worse, he was arrested and spent one year in jail after stealing a car. Prior to his release, John had heard about Second Chance’s Prisoner Reentry Employment Program (PREP), and immediately enrolled after leaving prison. While living in one of Second Chance’s sober living homes, John graduated from STRIVE Class #83, landed a job on his first interview, and began working for Anthony’s Fish Grotto. But things still weren’t exactly easy. With a work shift that started at 5am every morning, John faced a big challenge: he didn’t own a car and San Diego’s public transportation system doesn’t run early enough to get him to his job on time. With an intense desire to keep his job and continue his quest of turning his life around, John would hop on a bus at 10pm every night, and sleep on the ground outside of the restaurant until it was time to start work the next morning. John kept this schedule up for over four months until he had saved enough money to buy a truck. Now with his own transportation, he can lead a more normal life, sleeping in his own bed as a paying resident in a Second Chance sober living home. Looking back on his experiences, he feels he owes so much to Second Chance for helping get his life back. |
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