Story: Victor Daprile
Victor Daprile serves as a board member and grant reviewer for OneOhio Region 7, which encompasses Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
The story of Victor’s family began when his son, nicknamed “Pal”, was a sophomore in high school. As a freshman, Pal was a starter on his high school varsity golf team, but during his sophomore year, he was ineligible to play due to poor grades. Victor called the coach believing there must have been some sort of misunderstanding, however; it turned out Pal had changed the grades on his report card before showing it to his father. This was the first indication to Victor that something was wrong, and his son was engaged in more than just “typical teenager activities”.
In the years following this first incident, Pal received several DUIs, and Victor tried to help him avoid severe penalties. Along the way, his drinking and drug use got worse, with opioids being his drug of choice. After Pal was arrested for robbery, A mutual friend got Victor involved in a 12-step program for family members and friends. As Victor began attending recovery support meetings, he found them very impactful. In one instance, Victor had missed a couple of meetings, and at the next meeting he attended, he learned that one of the group leaders had just lost her son to a fatal overdose. This was an eye opener for Victor, seeing the very real consequences addiction can have on individuals and their families.
Victor’s attendance at support meetings did not mark the end of Pal’s drug use. It did however give Victor an opportunity to do things differently and apply what he had learned through his support group. When his son was arrested again for yet another robbery, Victor did not work to get Pal released as he had before, and he spent 12 days in jail. This was incredibly difficult for Victor and the family, but he felt it was the right course of action for Pal’s future well-being. Through attending a support group for impacted families, Victor recognized that Pal entering into recovery would require him to shift his thinking and respond differently than he had when his son had been arrested previously. Pal was released to an inpatient recovery center for 90 days and pleaded into drug court. After 90 days of treatment, and nearly a year in the drug court program, Pal graduated from drug court with honors. He continued to work with a sponsor in a 12-step recovery program to maintain his sobriety, and eventually, Pal became a sponsor himself.
Pal is now in long-term recovery. He has his own business, a wife, and three children. Through the experience with his son, Victor recognizes addiction is a disease that is disruptive to the entire family, and access to a network of care is critical for individuals with a substance use disorder. Pal needed access to services and family support in order to become sober and maintain his sobriety. Watching Pal access the services he needed was the main reason Victor wanted to serve on the region 7 board. Victor views his service on the region 7 board as a privilege. He looks forward to continuing to serve and help meet the needs of his community.