Success Stories
Nick Colosimo
Small Business Owner, Infinity Framing & Trim
St. Matthew's House Board of Trustees member
Nowhereness. It started when I was a teenager; drinking like any other teenager. It was just ordinary usage and then it became routine. Then before I knew it, it became a way of life. Instead of waking up and thinking about a relationship with my higher power, I would think about the power of addiction. At the age of 17 I had a tragic automobile accident. From that point on, I learned how to escape, how to take me out of myself so I don't have to feel what's going on around me. It consumed my thoughts and I didn't want to work anymore. My self esteem was low. I had pushed away all the people that cared about me. I would lie, cheat, steal, whatever it was I had to do to get another drink. Pushing my family away, pushing my friends away, and then, eventually, nowhereness. My family had given up on me. They said, "We're going to pray for you, but we don't want you around." They stopped inviting me to birthdays, Christmas, etc...I had been at St. Matt's a couple of different times. The last time I was here I stayed 30 days. Then I got sentenced to a little bit of jail time which was normally where I would go. I went from the jail, to the Salvation Army, back to St. Matthew's House because I knew, at this time, even after almost a year clean, my best thinking still gets me drunk. My goal was to go to Wolfe Apartments because I knew that it was a longer program. I could continue having a little bit of direction in my life, a little bit of controlled living. I lived at Wolfe for almost two years. I got my driver's license back after 16 years. I studied and got my contractors license. I even graduated from high school. The program gave me the time and the resources to be able to study. I even got custody of my children back. It's all about levels to come up into a better way of living. One of the reasons that I come back to St. Matthew's House and volunteer is because a lot of those people out there were me. I'm them and I know in my heart that I'm a good kid, I'm a good son. I'm a good friend. I just got a little clouded by drink and drug and needed a little chance to change. So I come here and donate time and money. I do what I can and that's why I encourage others to do the same thing.