Craig Ebert

It took Craig more than 30 years to get clean. At age 48, he now has a good job, has started saving money, has made a down payment on a house and has gone back to school for the first time in more than 20 years.

When Craig was 13, his father died of alcoholism. Craig began his own experimentation and was able to support himself for many years as a “functioning addict.” He never finished college, his variety of jobs left him unfulfilled and he occasionally lost solid employment due to his drug and alcohol problems. Several rehabilitation programs failed to bring permanent change. In 2002, Craig decided that it had to end. He moved, spent three years at a rehabilitation center and sober house where he became house manager.

Today, Craig holds a good full-time job and has been clean for five years. He is working towards an associate’s degree at Minneapolis Community and Technical College and also works part-time at a halfway house for men. He still finds time to work on his new house.

After he graduates from the criminal justice program at MCTC, he hopes to work with at-risk youth as a juvenile probation officer or guardian ad litem. Although he has been a straight A-student, he cannot afford to sacrifice work hours for classroom time. He has spent the past five years attending school only part-time.

Craig received a $1000 grant in 2006 that let him take some time from work to accelerate his studies. His expected graduation date is now the spring of 2008.