Patrick thought he blew it. He was a resident at Liberty House for four months until he found an apartment. But his life quickly unraveled, lapsing into old habits – and an intentional overdose of Fentanyl that nearly ended his life.

“There was no reason for them to give me a second chance,” he remembers.

Patrick joined the Air Force in 2003 and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. Battlefield trauma and guilt over his role in an accident that led to casualties haunted him long after his return home.

“PTS isn’t just thoughts, it’s a feeling inside,” says Patrick. “It’s not understanding why you’re so scared all the time or why you’re driving and dodging potholes, worried about getting blown up. You feel it in every fiber.”

For years, Patrick self-medicated with alcohol and drugs and found himself homeless. After several attempts at treatment, he entered a facility that transferred him to New Hampshire, where he learned about Liberty House.

When Patrick first arrived at Liberty House, he had difficulty opening up and trusting people. He was determined to check the boxes and move on. With the support of staff, he got his license, connected with a doctor, and secured work at the VA.

“I did what I had to do just to get my own apartment,” he recalls. “But things went downhill quickly. I wasn’t managing my mental health, I shut everyone out and eventually overdosed.”

Back in treatment, fear and shame kept him from reaching out for another chance, but his girlfriend made the call and Liberty House welcomed him back. Patrick was ready to approach things differently.

“I’m now being open, expressing vulnerability,” he says. “I want to use all that’s happened to me as an opportunity to give back.”

Through Liberty House, Patrick is pursuing his goal of working as a counselor in the recovery field, focusing on veterans.

“It’s a sense of purpose that I haven’t had in a long time, helping people feel good about themselves again, like Liberty House did for me,” says Patrick. “I’m truly grateful to everyone who supports Liberty House – there’s no place like it.”