SPRINGBORO — Wes Coffman could be a poster boy for the 13th annual September Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

        The 23-year-old Waynesville man not only epitomizes the havoc wreaked by alcohol and drug abuse but also the recovery that can occur.

        Mr. Coffman began experimenting with alcohol and drugs when he was a teen.

        “Like a lot of high school kids, we knew where to buy marijuana and alcohol. It was what we did every weekend and sometimes in between,” he said.

        But in August 2001, everything changed. After a night of drinking, he was nearly home. But driving too fast and clouded by alcohol, he missed a turn and crashed his truck. Still conscious, but unable to move, he prayed for help. Nearby residents called for help.

        Close to death from critical spinal injuries, he was taken to Middletown Regional Hospital and then flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where he stayed for three weeks. After complicated back surgery, doctors told him he would probably never walk again.

        More than a year later, Mr. Coffman has worked hard to turn his life around. That includes completing intensive physical and mental-health therapy and faithfully attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice each week.

        “The most important help has been the program at TASC (Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime),” Mr. Coffman said. “I just completed the six-month program which the court offers (as an alternative to jail time) to many who are charged with drinking while under the influence.”

        He hopes soon to be driving a specially equipped van and seeking full-time employment. He also looks forward to the National Championship Tournament for wheelchair-bound tennis players scheduled later this month at Hilton Head, S.C..

        Mr. Coffman has worked closely with TASC coordinator Gloria Dillinger and caseworker Jim Steiner.Mr. Steiner said his client has been “a near perfect case. He's done everything right and I have confidence that he will continue to stay on the path to success. And that means every day for the rest of his life.”

        TASC has been an important Warren County intervention service since 1998. Mrs. Dillinger said TASC received 253 referrals last year; 168 men and women were accepted. Eighty-one percent were male; 19 percent were female.

        “We fully expect to see many more clients, and on the positive side, more and more successful outcomes,” she said.

        For information about TASC services, call (937) 748-8643 or (877) 748-TASC toll free, or visit the office at 345 W. Central Ave. in Springboro.

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