"Hope Alliance made it possible for me to get the help I needed. All I had to do was say yes. I was given access to a top notch treatment center free of charge to me. My family and I are forever grateful."
​~Ryan M.

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My name is Terry Pierce. I am the Hope Alliance Coordinator for Wilson. 

I knew at a young age I wanted to work with people battling the disease of substance addiction.  Living with a “functional alcoholic” father and a sister battling crack/cocaine addiction, I watched my mother cry endless tears in pain as her first-born child was battling a hell storm.

I remember going to the jail to get my father out as he was arrested on another DWI. I remember not having a bookbag for school, but my father had his beer. I remember going for days and not seeing my dad because he was with his buddies out drinking and I would be asleep when he got home.

Years of living like this I knew I had to do something to prevent another mom from crying over her child or a wife bailing her husband out of jail for another DWI. Trying to talk to my sister or my father about getting help would always cause arguments within our home.

Throughout the years, my mom and I would call every treatment facility, every mental health facility, every resource we could find. Time and time again we were told unless you have insurance, you will have to pay out of pocket for treatment and it was always thousands of dollars. It felt as if no one cared about the person, just the money. I knew there had to be someone that could or would be willing to help our family but without the insurance, we kept facing rejection. The tears I witnessed my mother cry after being told “unless you pay out of pocket, there is nothing we can do”, set my heart on fire to find that help! How can someone put a price on saving a life? Is a life not more valuable than that? Not understanding this led me to my career today. 

I started my studies at Barton College where I obtained my bachelor's degree in social work with a concentration in substance use. I then went on to Ohio State University where I received my master’s degree in social work with a concentration in substance use and mental health. I then attended East Carolina University for my certification in Addictions Prevention and Treatment Studies. 
 
Although these degrees are important and look good on a resume, having these does not mean anything to a family trying to save their loved one, or to the person using trying to free of substance use.  While I learned a lot from both colleges, having hands-on experience teaches you so much more than sitting in a classroom. There is no “textbook addict” or alcoholic. Those pictures we always see of how a “junkie” or alcoholic looks are by far nothing more than stigma. What those textbooks don’t show us is those that are battling addiction look like you and me. They are the coworkers we see daily, the doctors we go to when we’re sick, the lawyers that help us out of a ticket, the tellers at the bank, the kids we are cheering on at our schools’ game, etc.  They look like my father getting up daily going to work.  They look like my sister that had several college scholarships due to her performance playing high school ball.

Just as those college degrees are a title on a resume, our social status or professional title means nothing to addiction. Addiction does not care about your status, wealth or who you are, just as the dope dealer doesn’t care about your life other than making a profit from your battle or the demons you fight with daily. 

Having a career with Hope Alliance has given me many heartwarming moments. Meeting people at the lowest times in their life, giving them hope, encouragement, support and seeing them overcome their addiction has been the best achievements of this career. Saving a son, daughter, mom or dad is what makes this a career and not a job. Having a family member come to you and personally thank you for the opportunity given to their loved one, or the person calling you to say thank you for saving them, to those referrals that come from someone who has gone through Hope Alliance is priceless. 

While those blessings are amazing, this career does come with its heartbreaks. Seeing those you have tried to help overdose or lose their life to addiction is hard to accept. Having to tell a mother and father that their child has overdosed and is now deceased, is the hardest thing I ever had to do. But it doesn’t have to be this way. There is hope and it’s only a phone call away. 

Hope Alliance is only a piece of puzzle, it takes a whole community to come together to overcome addiction. It’s not just that person’s problem. It’s a community problem. Hope Alliance is blessed to partner with other community agencies that are just as passionate about saving lives from addiction and we have joined together to give residents of Wilson another chance at a better tomorrow. 

Had there been a Hope Alliance or a community that offered these resources, that I could have reached out to, chances are I would still have my father. Although my sister is aware of Hope Alliance, I can only pray that she will take that step before it’s too late; yet in the meantime, I just keep reaching out to her and others in hopes they will accept the help and resources our community offers and realize they too can overcome this nightmare. 
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While there is still work to be done in Wilson and surrounding areas, our community will keep fighting for sobriety!!  

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