This Time Is My Time

My name is Arthur Ballard and I was born in Mobile, Alabama. I am the second oldest of three brothers and three sisters. At the age of nine, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia with my mother and stepdad. Shortly after my move, I started experimenting with marijuana. My experimentation in doing what so many others around me were doing led me to a whirlwind of trouble in school. My grades plummeted and I constantly got into fights and occasionally skipped classes.

At the age of 17, I moved to Clayton county with other family members. Four years later I started using heavier drugs, namely cocaine. For a while I was able to manage my drug use but my work performance took a nosedive. I was fired from my job and started to reevaluate my life. At the age of 28 I had three children that played a significant role in me stopping my drug use at the time. I noticed that me using was pulling me away from my children and that was a feeling that started to really tear at me.

Some time went by, and before I knew it, I was rolling with my old crew and started to use drugs again. Around this time, my daughter was incarcerated and nothing broke my heart more than to hear her say that my absence played a role in some of the decisions she made. I knew then that it was imperative that I got my act together.

In 2016, I heard about Clayton Center’s My Brother’s Keeper. I ended up joining the program and stayed for three short months before getting put out due to my inability to comply with the house rules of remaining clean and sober. I figured to myself, “maybe you can do this on your own. You can get clean without rehab.” These thoughts and I left the program and moved with my mother and I started working to assist in taking care of my son who was recently released from jail.

Unfortunately, I fell short again and picked back up on my drug usage. Determined and motivated to make it this time, I sought guidance from My Brother’s Keeper again. My tenure in 2018 was 13 months. I was on the right track, being employed at Hartsfield Airport and having my own apartment, things were finally looking up for me.

Time and time again in the fellowship I had been told that during the first year of recovery that you should stay away from relationships. With things going so well for me, I figured “how can I possibly mess this up, I’m stronger mentally.” With these thoughts, I started a relationship with a female that I met in recovery and before I knew it, I was back out there. I started calling into work, if I decided to even go at all, I would show up late. It was inevitable that I lost that job too.

Here I am today, six months clean, sober and determined to make this my last rodeo. During this journey, I have done things differently. I am more focused and not complacent as I was before. I inspire to be a better man for my eight children. I want to be a great role model for my grandchildren. In order to do that, I will take it one day at a time and continue to work on my sobriety.