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Recovery in the News
Man who beat drug addiction honored
Heather Leskanic
The Derrick.com
April 29, 2007
David Fetterer of Strattanville is one of five Pennsylvanians who will be recognized for turning their life around.
CLARION — David Fetterer admits that a year ago his life was plunging further and further into desperation and loss of control.
But instead of giving up and losing his wife and children, he set out to make a change.
Last July, the 41-year-old Strattanville man went into an outpatient rehabilitation center to address his marijuana addiction.
On May 9, he will be one of only five individuals from across the state to be recognized for his turnaround.
“I got clean and got a good job, thanks to (Community Action case manager) Mia McMillen and my wife,” Fetterer said.
He and his wife, Amy, have been married for 13 years.
They moved back to Clarion County last May.
“He knew we were struggling,” Amy Fetterer said. “It took its toll on me and my kids and he didn’t see it.”
Fetterer said he’s now able to support his family and keep the bills paid.
“I feel a lot better,” he said. “You can always better yourself.”
McMillen said it had come to the point of direct intervention.
Fetterer was faced with a monumental decision — enter rehabilitation or lose his family.
He said he owned up to the realization he had a problem and entered an outpatient recovery program on July 23.
It was the first time he had attempted to quit his abuse.
“That’s the first step,” he said.
Now, it’s one day at a time.
McMillen said Amy Fetterer played a significant role in the situation.
“She’s really the backbone of his success,” she said.
Amy Fetterer said the changes have brought the couple closer.
The Clarion County commissioners also presented a proclamation to honor Fetterer’s actions toward recovery and an improved quality of life for himself and his family.
“It makes me feel good people recognize what I’ve done to better myself,” he said.
The award is being distributed by Pennsylvania Partners, which shot video of Fetterer at work.
He is now a welder with Trail King Industries after taking part in workshops and preparing a resume and interview skills through Community Action’s support work program.
Fetterer, who grew up in the Punxsutawney area, also enrolled in GED classes.
“It’s rare that he’s shown initiative to succeed,” McMillen said.
Fetterer said he likes his job and is hopeful others who are in a similar situation will admit they have to make a change in their life.
“David is on the road to being debt-free in a marriage with honesty and trust in a drug-free environment,” commissioners Dave Cyphert, Donna Hartle and Donna Oberlander said. “He is truly a success story.”
USAChoice.
Copyright 2003