At 63 years old, Dennis never imagined he would be living in a tent in the woods.
He had spent decades working construction, building homes and supporting his family. But years of chronic pain, addiction, and unimaginable loss had slowly stripped away everything he knew. After losing his wife, he lost his apartment. With nowhere else to go, he found himself sleeping in a tent while recovering from hip surgery, relying on a walker and wondering where his next meal would come from.
Looking back, Dennis admits there was a time when he no longer cared whether he lived or died.
“I didn’t have anybody,” he said. “I basically wanted to die.”
Today, Dennis is planning for the future. He is saving money, working toward a home of his own, and dreaming about starting a small business building birdhouses and doghouses. For the first time in years, he believes there is still more life left to live.
He calls it “part two.”
A Life Marked by Loss
Long before addiction became a part of his story, Dennis experienced more loss than most people face in a lifetime.
His father died when he was young, and two years later, his mother passed away as well. At just eight years old, he and his brother moved in with relatives who raised them in Jacksonville, Florida. While he was grateful for the stability and love they provided, the loss of his parents left a lasting impact.
As a teenager, Dennis began drinking and experimenting with drugs. By the time he was 17, he had been introduced to heroin.
“That was the start of it all,” he said.
Over the years, substance use became a constant presence in his life. Although he was able to step away from heroin, other substances took its place. What started as experimentation eventually became a lifelong struggle that followed him into adulthood.
The losses continued.
Dennis lost his brother to cancer. Years later, he lost his only daughter to an overdose, a tragedy that still weighs heavily on him today.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that it doesn’t hurt,” he said.
Not long after, he lost his wife, his partner of nearly 50 years.
One by one, the people closest to him were gone.
When Pain Became Addiction
While substance use had been a part of Dennis’s life for years, chronic pain took his addiction to another level.
After suffering a ruptured disc, a torn ACL, and multiple hip surgeries throughout his career in construction, he was prescribed pain medication to manage his injuries. What began as treatment for legitimate pain slowly turned into dependence.
For years, Dennis found himself caught in a cycle of prescriptions, pain, and constantly chasing relief.
“Trying to fight the pain was my excuse,” he said.
The financial toll was significant. He spent hundreds of dollars on pills and found himself trapped in a lifestyle that seemed impossible to escape.
Eventually, he grew tired of watching addiction control every aspect of his life.
“I was tired of spending all my money on pills and drugs,” he said.
That realization led him to seek treatment.
Living in the Woods
Even after entering treatment, life continued to test Dennis.
When his wife passed away, he lost the income that had helped support their household. Without enough money to cover rent on his own, he lost his apartment and found himself homeless.
For months, he lived in a tent in the woods.
The experience was especially difficult because he was still recovering from hip surgery and often needed a walker to get around. Simple daily tasks became overwhelming. He worried about food, safety, and where he would sleep each night.
“It was horrible,” Dennis said. “Not knowing where your next meal was coming from.”
Despite everything, he continued showing up for treatment.
Looking back, he believes it saved his life.
“If it wasn’t for the treatment place, I’d still be in the woods and probably dead by now.”
A Lifeline When He Needed It Most
For Dennis, treatment provided more than medication.
It gave him support, stability, and people who genuinely cared about what happened to him.
Having counselors to talk to helped him process the grief, loneliness, and hardships he had carried for so many years. The medication helped him manage pain without relying on pills. Most importantly, it gave him hope that life could still improve.
One day, another patient noticed Dennis was struggling and asked a simple question.
“Ain’t you getting tired of living in the woods?”
Dennis laughed and admitted that he was.
That conversation changed everything.
His friend offered him a place to stay, and Dennis moved into the apartment that same day. Since then, the two have continued supporting one another and are now working toward getting a house together.
“It’s a great thing to have a friend,” Dennis said. “You can have everything else you want, but if you ain’t got a friend, you don’t have nothing.”
Looking Toward Part Two
Today, Dennis has something he once thought he had lost forever: hope.
He is saving money instead of spending it on pills. He is making plans for the future instead of simply trying to survive the present. And he is working toward a dream that reminds him of happier times.
Years ago, Dennis and his daughter built birdhouses together. Now, he hopes to start a small business creating custom birdhouses and doghouses from reclaimed wood.
He already has a name picked out.
“Dee’s Birdhouses.”
For many people, it might sound like a small goal. For Dennis, it represents a fresh start.
Before treatment, he could not imagine a future worth planning for. Today, he is building one.
“I’m looking for part two of life,” he said.
And for the first time in a long time, that future feels possible.
A Message to Anyone Who Is Struggling
Dennis knows how easy it is to believe things will never get better.
He has experienced addiction, chronic pain, homelessness, and the loss of nearly everyone he loved. Yet despite it all, he wants others to know that change is possible.
“If anybody is considering treatment, give it a chance,” he said. “It’s a life changer.”
For Dennis, treatment did more than help him stop chasing pills. It gave him a reason to keep going, a community that supported him, and the opportunity to start writing the next chapter of his story.
His part two has already begun.