Ken DeCesare: In Recovery, on a Mission
ORLANDO, FL, April 10, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Ken DeCesare knows what is it’s like to be down and out.
For him, rock bottom wasn’t dropping out of high school at 16 in Deltona, Florida, after turning to alcohol to boost his self-confidence and social skills. It wasn’t six years later, Thanksgiving 2010, when he found himself passed out on his parents’ doorstep in an alcohol and cocaine induced stupor and staying with them for six months to white-knuckle his way off. After that, he met a girl, moved to the beach, got married and thought addiction was behind him. But it wasn't.
"I want to make an impact."
Ken DeCesare, Co-Founder
Shortly after moving to the beach, the heavy drinking returned. And then so did the cocaine. Barely back on his feet from before, his life quickly collapsed and he found himself living out of a motel in Daytona Beach, which is where he was introduced to prescription pain pills. He pawned a coin collection received from his grandfather for pennies on the dollar "just to buy for maybe that week." He also stole from his family to buy drugs. Yet, even that wasn’t rock bottom.
In 2013, there was a marriage – a bigamist second marriage. DeCesare says he doesn't remember much, commenting only, "The truth is, I can’t tell you much because I don’t know. What I do know is that I met a woman and while we were in Kissimmee we walked from the park to the courthouse while I was high and got married” There was the wife he remembered in Daytona Beach and the one he forgot in Kissimmee. And there were criminal charges on the way, several.
DeCesare was a mess. He had finally reached rock bottom. And in 2014, after asking for help his case was transferred to the Orange County Adult Drug Court Program for treatment.
Three years later and still in recovery – a daily battle he says – DeCesare is making a difference.
In November 2016, with the help of his former counselor from Drug Court, DeCesare founded Invest in Recovery, a not-for-profit organization that encourages employers to hire people, like him, who are motivated to change their lives for the better. They have an office in southwest Orlando along with a growing presence throughout the Central Florida region, where they focus on developing relationships with employers open to giving second chances. They also work with treatment centers and counselors to build awareness for people like him who seek to hit ‘Restart’.
Now, DeCesare is taking his message across the country, partnering with national not-for-profit organizations, to advocate giving incentives to employers who hire people in recovery. Currently, addicts do not qualify for federal incentives, like the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and he is trying to change that.
“It isn't easy convincing employers to hire people in recovery just because it's a good deed. They'd be more receptive if there was an incentive, so let's give them one,” DeCesare says.
Ken DeCesare has seen rock bottom and successfully dug out. He loves to share his story, hoping he can help others build brand new lives for themselves like he has, people in recovery like him.
“I want to make an impact,” DeCesare concludes.
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To interview Ken DeCesare and learn more about him and Invest in Recovery, call
him directly at (407) 761-4751 or send him an email at ken.decesare@gmail.com.
Source: Invest in Recovery