The first time Ross Pittman got blackout drunk, he was four years old. It was something of an accident then, but as he grew up it became a habit, and then an addiction. In grade school, he and a friend would sneak off school grounds during lunch to raid the friend’s parents’ liquor cabinet at his house a block from the school. In high school, older friends would buy the alcohol, and Ross would drink away the hours.

When he turned nineteen, Ross stopped drinking and started smoking marijuana. While his vices ruled him, he managed to get a good job inspecting airplane parts in Kansas. He worked there for 14 years, until 9/11 forever changed the country and the airline industry. His employer was forced to make layoffs, and Ross found himself without a job. His mother was very ill at the time, so Ross moved back to Lincoln to take care of her. When she passed away not long after, Ross had nowhere to go. As he fell into depression, he also resumed drinking. His alcoholism took over his life then, and his family pointed him toward the Mission.

Ross stayed at the Mission for a time, but ended up back on the streets, falling deeper and deeper into his alcoholism. “I was drunk on the streets every day,” he said. Eventually, Ross decided he’d had enough, and he prayed to God to show him a better way to live.

“I have been blessed ever since,” he said. “After that, people just started showing up in my life to help.” Including a friend who made the calls that initially got Ross into treatment. After a brief hospitalization and a life-saving intervention by a nurse, Ross was sober and staying at the Mission once again—this time in the Curtis Center.

“It was such a blessing that I got into the center,” he said.

Today, Ross has two part-time jobs—he’s looking for a full-time position and is saving up to leave the Mission once and for all. Also, he’s been sober for two and a half years. And he’s learned a lot from his experiences, especially the fact that there are people out there who can and will help.

“There’s help if you need it,” he said. “You just have to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask. There are people who will bend over backwards to help you.”