|
Family closer after
quitting ‘ice’
Twenty-one-year-old Joseph Lewis finally got what he wanted: his father back into his life free of crystal methamphetamine addiction.
More than a year ago, Joseph and Dickson Lewis were torn from each other. But all that changed as Dickson, following his son's lead, overcame his 12-year addiction to crystal meth.
"He has really gone far," said Joseph. "My recovery has inspired him to do the same.
"I'm proud of him. He's an inspiration to me, as I am to him," he said.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin ran a series called "Ice Storm: Epidemic of the Islands" in September 2003 that delved into the problems associated with the dangerous drug featuring a story on Joseph Lewis and his personal battle with crystal meth.
Joseph said the relationship with his father is "getting better."
"Drugs took me away from him," said Dickson, who has been clean and sober for almost a year. "He was my inspiration. He means the world to me."
"Crystal meth really took me down. It made me reach bottom. It made me steal, it made me cheat, it made me lie. I hurt my son, hurt everybody that I loved so much," said Dickson, 48, of Alewa Heights, whose drug use led him to a criminal record of five convictions that include petty theft and fraudulent use of a credit card.
"It represented hell. It was really bad," he said.
While in the treatment center, he patched up his estranged relationship with his son.
"My relationship with my son has improved dramatically. We have gotten closer," said Dickson. "I don't ever want to go back to that terrible realm."
"I wasn't there when he was growing up. ... He's given me a chance to be better and be a father in his life that I needed to be. I thank God for that," he added.
Dickson reports to his parole officer once a month, takes weekly urine analysis tests and attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings three times a week.
He takes care of his mother, Viola, and has returned to work on movie sets under the International Alliance of Theatrical State Employees.
Joseph continues to remain drug-free.
In July he graduated from Hawaii Drug Court after he spent two years in the program. He is the youngest person to graduate from the program since its inception in 1996.
A month earlier, Joseph obtained his high school diploma from McKinley High School. He is working as an editor for an up-and-coming Internet company.
He lives in Makiki with his girlfriend, Ashley Yaji, and their son, Bryson, who turns 2 today. The couple is also expecting a new addition to their family in January whom they plan to name Bryana. Moreover, Joseph said he plans to enroll at the University of Hawaii and would like to become an attorney after his own lawyer, Scott Collins, played an important role toward his recovery.
"He really cared about me," he said.
Joseph helps the director of the Friends of Hawaii Drug Court with administrative duties and continues to talk to his counselor, Janice Bennett, administrator of Hawaii Drug Court, about his temptations.
"I do at times get urges and thoughts," said Joseph. "It's just natural, and it will come and go in time. I'm not putting myself in any place that I will feel uncomfortable."
