"Success Isn't Easy, but Worth It."

For many people diagnosed with an addiction or mental illness, recovery is a choice; however, the road to recovery can be difficult. Donald Palmer is a true success -- he chose the recovery path, knowing the challenge it would impose upon him, and triumphed despite the odds.

After suffering from bullet wounds in both legs and a scare that he may never walk again, Donald left "The Circle," an apartment complex he called home in Cincinnati. His life in "The Circle" had gone from bad to worse and it was time he make a new life for himself. Not only was he living in a bad neighborhood, he also was living in a cycle of addiction and mental illness.

"I remember lying there after I was shot and thinking, 'If I make it, I know I can do better,'" Donald said. "I prayed for God to show me the right way, and I knew that this was his way of showing me that I had been heading in the wrong direction."

Through the help of a friend who urged him to move to Columbus, Donald started his path toward a new life.

"My friend came to visit me in Cincinnati," Donald said. "He encouraged me to move to Columbus and make a fresh start."

Donald, 43 of Columbus, was born and raised in Cincinnati with his five sisters and two brothers. His mother had passed away when he was very young, so he was raised by his father, a local preacher. At the young age of 12, Donald began experimenting with drugs. It started with marijuana and steadily progressed as time went on. Through the years, he had several run-ins with local law enforcement, one resulting in Donald serving two-years in a Kentucky prison.

After moving to Columbus, Donald began his journey toward a different "circle." At first, he was homeless and without medication. Then he heard about ADAMH's front-door agency, NetCare Access, and knew this was the place he could receive the help he needed.

"I had read somewhere that the ADAMH Board was a safety net," Donald said. "ADAMH was the net that caught me."

After visiting NetCare, Donald was sent to ADAMH-funded North Central Mental Health Services where he was connected with Paul Parson. Even today, Donald keeps in touch with Paul, informing him of his progress.

Through the help of ADAMH-funded Center of Vocational Alternatives (COVA), Donald currently works as a part-time surveyor at ADAMH and was recently named survey supervisor. He said that it has been a rewarding experience to work within the ADAMH organization.

"I really feel like part of the team here at ADAMH," Donald said of his surveying position, which he regarded as a rewarding experience.

One day of surveying allowed Donald to utilize his own personal experiences and turn it into a positive. He was conducting a regular survey call to a woman. Instead of answering survey questions, the woman was threatening to harm herself. By setting aside his priority of completing surveys, Donald talked with the woman until she was calm. After exchanging thank yous, the two hung up. A short time later, Donald's supervisor came to his desk.

"Donald, we just got a call from a woman who wanted to thank you and the ADAMH Board," she said. "You saved her life."

Donald is now proud to say he is in a different circle -- a circle of recovery. Today, aside from his job at the ADAMH Board, Donald enjoys watching sports, especially boxing, reading, spending time with his daughter and living in his own apartment on Columbus' west side.

"ADAMH was the safety net -- and I wanted to get in it," Donald said. "The ADAMH Board and its providers have played a huge part in my recovery, and I am truly thankful."

The ADAMH Board helps Franklin County residents find the right places to turn for affordable, high quality alcohol, drug addiction and mental health services. These services are provided by more than 45 not-for-profit network agencies located in neighborhoods throughout the county. Services are funded in part by a single property tax levy approved by voters.