James, 43, an Allentown native, served his country honorably in the Marine Corps for 10 years. He spent time in active combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Like many of his fellow soldiers, James drank to pass the time and to cope with military life.
During his service, James was critically injured by an IED explosion. This led to more than three years of rehabilitation, including learning how to walk and talk again. Hesitant to take the pain medication his doctors prescribed, James turned to alcohol to numb both his physical and mental pain. He also started using marijuana, hoping it would help him sleep.
When James was charged with a DUI in 2022, he decided to seek help for his addiction and came to Penn Foundation. Through outpatient counseling, James learned healthy ways to cope with his PTSD. He also learned how comforting it felt just to talk to someone about his feelings. “I realized that I didn’t know who I was outside of my military uniform,” he says.
Since starting counseling two years ago, James has also quit smoking, become an active member of a local church, enrolled in school to study cyberterrorism and coding, and is about to embark on training for his Certified Peer Specialist credential.
“St. Luke’s Penn Foundation has been amazing,” says James. “They showed me that there is a healthier way to live, that there are people who genuinely want to help you. There will be ups and downs in your recovery, and you definitely have to work for it. But you are not alone.”