Success Stories

Maple Figures

When you meet Maple Figures, it’s hard to believe at one time she was a homeless drug and alcohol addict. She has a smile that lights up the room and an air of confidence that says she knows who she is. Maple came from a nice family, had good morals and values and attended church regularly. Like most young women, she had aspirations to finish high school, go to college, get married, and have children. But at age 17, she allowed peer pressure to lead her astray. She had her first beer that led to several more beers. That led to drugs and before she realized it she had become an addict. She was living in the street, homeless, and hanging out with other addicts. “I felt like I was in a hole that was cold, dark and empty,” Maple said. “I saw other people who seemed normal, with jobs, houses, cars, and families. I wanted to be like them but I didn’t know where to start.”

When a fellow addict put a gun to Maple’s head and said he was going to kill her, Maple realized she had to sober up or die. She had been on a five day drunken binge and didn’t even know where she was. She hadn’t eaten or bathed in days. Luckily she walked away from the incident but it was a turning point. She had to get away from this kind of life. Maple wanted to live, wanted the pain to go away and wanted her life to be different. She knew she needed help, so she finally enrolled in the Recovery House Treatment Center in Columbus. The staff there gave her the encouragement and motivation she needed to kick her addiction. She wanted to be like the staff at the Recovery House: to have confidence, to wear nice clothes, and to put on make-up. During her addiction all she could do was cry. “Treatment gave me hope, courage - it gave me a reason to smile again,” states Maple Figures. “To have someone say ‘good morning’ was like ‘Wow!’ people didn’t say things like that where I came from. My addiction gave me many ways to die but treatment gave me a way to live.”

After Maple had successfully completed her treatment at the Recovery House, she was referred to the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services (MDRS) Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). Her first reaction to enrolling in VR was that it wasn’t for someone like her because she didn’t have a physical or mental disability. She quickly learned that they did help people like her who had recovered from alcohol and drug addiction. “VR picked me up at this point because I didn’t have any family that could afford to help me,” adds Maple. “I didn’t know how to work, had no job skills, and didn’t know how to live. VR helped me get an apartment, had my lights turned on, and even paid for my eye glasses.” Maple received a vocational evaluation and assessment to determine her strengths, weaknesses and interests. Her assessment concluded that she would be successful at working with people, but first Maple had to have several months of sobriety and vocational training. She was enrolled in the MDRS AbilityWorks work training facility. There she was taught how to work, how to be on time, and how to interact with her supervisor and other clients. Her counselor, Liz Hughes, worked with Maple on her interview skills, what to wear, appropriate questions to ask, and how to respond to questions. Another of Maple’s goals was to go back to school to earn a degree that would help to further her career in social services or a related field. “There were times that I wanted to give up and go home,” states Maple. “Liz would always encourage me and calm my fears. I wanted a softer way out but there wasn’t one,” continued Maple. “I wouldn’t be where I am now without the encouragement and support that Liz and the other staff at MDRS gave me. They never gave up on me and wouldn’t let me quit.”

Eventually Maple was able to secure a position at Recovery House where she was once a client. She is now a full time transitional counselor at the Recovery House and full time student majoring in behavioral science. She got married in the summer of 2002. “My life couldn’t get any better than it is now,” adds Maple.

“The greatest thing MDRS gave me was courage,” states Maple. "They taught me I could do anything I set my mind to. They gave me dignity and helped me to hold my head high again. I never thought an addict like me would be in a position like I am now. I would like to say to anyone that’s addicted to alcohol and drugs that they can’t give up. There is help out there."’