It Wasn’t Easy Then and It Isn’t Easy Now

Wiley Johnson is an Army Veteran who served his country in Viet Nam from 1973 to 1976 as a communications specialist. He was born and raised in Cottonplant, Arkansas, to a farming family. After graduating high school, he worked the farm for a time but decided that farming was not for him and left to join the military.

When he returned, it was hard to find a job. Eventually, he went to Gary, Indiana, to work in a foundry. He got married and eventually went to work at the hospital where his wife was a nursing assistant. They had a daughter, bought a house, and life looked good. But when his brother was killed, Mr. Johnson moved his wife and daughter back to Cottonplant to spend time with his family.

Jobs were just as scarce then as they had been before, and the Johnsons found themselves relocating to Little Rock. Mr. Johnson eventually began working for the City of Little Rock, driving trucks for the sanitation department. “That was where I was really introduced to alcohol. They’d buy a bottle, pass it to me, and I’d have some. It became an everyday thing, and eventually, I even went looking for a ‘drinking crew’ on weekends.”

As the drinking progressed, Mr. Johnson began spending less and less time at home. “I didn’t want my wife to see me drinking, so I wasn’t at home. I didn’t think she would ever leave, but she did. I came home, and her coat was gone. She had packed up and taken our daughter, and she never came back.”

Mr. Johnson lost his house and became homeless. He went to Ft. Root for treatment in 1980. He completed the program and got a job, but staying sober continued to be a struggle. “I was almost fired once when my boss found a bottle in my desk drawer,  but the union got my job back for me.”

His last job was with Arkansas Power and Light, and he had fifteen years sober. As he got older, he began having knee problems and began receiving Workman’s Compensation. He went to the VA and was diagnosed with chronic heart disease. “I told them I was an alcoholic, and they sent me back through the Sober Living program. I went on Social Security at 62. I’ve been in and out of places like St. Francis House, trying to stay away from alcohol. It wasn’t easy then, and it isn’t easy now.”

Mr. Johnson has been a part of the St. Francis House family for over three months now, and he is working hard on his sobriety. His next step is to find a placement at an assisted living facility. His daughter comes to see him almost every weekend, and he is looking forward to life on his own without alcohol.