Article July 16, 2001 Issue

An alcoholic's spiritual awakening

I was convicted and sent to prison. It was actually a stepping stone to salvation.

By Keith Robey

I TOOK MY FIRST  drink of beer when I was only 14. My best friend back then had a sister who was a few years older than we were. She and her friends were always drinking and partying, and to me it seemed like they were always having a good time. When you're young, you really don't consider what the long-term effects of alcohol use might be.

I kept drinking alcohol all through high school, and eventually found myself also using drugs. I even got arrested twice for possession of drugs, but because drug offenses are considered nonviolent, I got only probation. I attended court-ordered drug rehabilitation classes, but I really wasn't looking to stop using—only to satisfy the conditions of the court.

Then on March 5, 1995, my world caved in. My girlfriend and I went out on a date to a club for a few drinks and dancing. It had been raining for several hours when we decided to leave, and the streets had become very slippery. On the way home, my car hydroplaned across the median and hit another car head-on at about 55 miles per hour. My girlfriend was killed instantly, and I was arrested for reckless homicide.

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