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Although Curtis Covington has lived and traveled to many places around the world, his favorite childhood memory remains in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he grew up. For those who don’t know, Mount Vernon is in the country. Living in the country sounds like fields of corn swaying in the wind, smells of homemade biscuits smothered in gravy and looks like a cozy home on a ranch with a bright red barn to top it off. For Covington, living in the country has created some of his most fulfilling memories.

“I’ve got a sister,” Covington said. “She is two years younger than me and she is completely opposite of me. We had a creek next to our house, so we would always be playing in there or in the barns and those were just some of the best years I think.” 

Growing up, Covington shared a close relationship with his mother. He was definitely a mama’s boy until the phrase slowly faded into nothing when Covington turned 10. His mother decided to get remarried, and Covington did not agree with her decision. 

“I wasn’t so much upset when my mom got remarried as I would be later on,” Covington said. “My step-father was just such a control freak and emotionally abused my sister and I.”   

As a result, Covington went to go live with his dad to avoid his damaged relationship with his mom. Although he was able to get away from the emotional hurt, he felt he was not able to get away from living in an unstable environment.   

“One was emotional abuse, and the other was physical abuse,” Covington said. “My dad was a hard core alcoholic though. He often stayed out at the bars until close and would come home in a drunken rampage.”  

As Covington grew up, he made the choice to join the Army. After getting his General Education Diploma (GED), he felt as if he had nothing going for him. Covington said that he was homeless with no job and no car. He always spoke against joining the military until his sister talked him into meeting with recruiters because of the rut Covington found himself in right out of high school.  

Covington went to basic training in Georgia at Ft. Benning, a school of infantry where soldiers are trained, armed and equipped to fight on foot.  

“In the military, you go through basic. They break you down and build you up to be able to not only be in the most extreme situations but to know what to do in that situation on an instinctive level,” Covington said.  

After training in Georgia, Covington was stationed in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He was put into Charlie Company of the Second Battalion of the Second Brigade Combat Team. He and his team trained for 10 months in counter-terroism before they were deployed to Iraq. 

It was his first time in combat with his team in Iraq.  Little did Covington know, this moment would be one of his most dreadful memories from being in the Army. The fight was tough, and bombs were coming from every angle. Covington fell off of the turret he was on and got knocked unconsious. He ended up being the only survivor of his team. 

Months before, Covington suffered from a bullet shot in his right arm, near his shoulder, and three shots to the chest. Luckily, he was wearing a chest plate. If he would have been shot one more time, the bullet would have gone straight through his deteriorated plate, and he would no longer be here today.

While serving the U.S., Covington went overseas to Afghanistan and Iraq often. Being on foreign land for long periods of time changed Covington’s social behavior.  

“From being overseas, you don’t know who the enemy is in Iraq or Afghanistan, so you’re always watching the environment and people around you,” Covington said. “Then when you come home there’s no shutting that off. There’s no off switch. There’s no debriefing.”  

Covington suffered from past trauma after being in the Army. He found himself avoiding large groups of people because he could not handle the jumbled noises that would ring inside of his head. Loud noises would startle him and send his heart racing. Covington didn’t know what he was being faced with and turned to Methamphetamine (meth) to cope with these new changes.  Meth is a man-made chemical, unlike other illegal drugs that many come from plants. Meth involves mixing forms of amphetamine, which is a stimulant drug, or other toxic chemicals such as pesticides to boost the drug’s potency.  

“I just knew that if I wanted to go out into large groups — for example, Walmart — I had to be high to be able to cope with that,” Covington said. “I didn’t know that I had PTSD I just knew that; that’s what I needed to do to operate half normal.”

Covington began to struggle with symptoms of PTSD from his extreme experiences in the Army. PTSD stands for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to an article published in Mayo Clinic, PTSD can last months or years, and can involve triggers that can bring back memories of the trauma accompanied by intense emotional and physical reactions.  

“Symptoms may include nightmares or unwanted memories of the trauma, avoidance of situations that bring back memories of the trauma, heightened reactions, anxiety, or depressed mood,” Mayo Clinic reported in an article focused on PTSD.  

Covington said when he got out of service, no one told him to go to the United States Veterans Affairs (VA) to get help for the changes he was experiencing. The VA is a federal cabinet level agency that provides healthcare services to eligible military veterans. 

“At the time I didn’t know that the VA was anything but a free hospital if I broke an arm,” Covington said. 

The most well-known symptom of using meth is staying awake for long periods. Covington said that the longest he stayed awake while on meth was three days. He said that after three days, there was no sense of self-control, and he did not like that feeling. When Covington refers to losing self-control, he is talking about the paranoia that many people experience from being awake too long on meth. This paranoia can range from feeling like cops are outside your house to bugs crawling on or under your skin. 

Covington’s meth addiction started out of the Army after his last experience in Iraq. Covington said that he learned to make meth through his friends who had been making it before him and by teaching it to himself.  

Covington said that he started to make meth, also known as cooking, so then he could keep up a steady income while still being under the influence. He would cook meth at his mom’s house or other locations either alone or with his friends. One gram of meth is typically $100, and it only cost Covington $4.50 to make it. As a habitual user, one gram of meth would last Covington half a day. For occasional users, Covington said that one gram could last up to one week. Cooking meth is risky. Covington said that he always made sure to sleep a lot before making batches of meth so he could be fully focused, but that doesn’t get rid of the fact that “cooks” handle various toxic and dangerous chemicals.

DrugFreeWorld.org stated in an article: “These dangerous chemicals are potentially explosive and because the meth cooks are drug users themselves and disoriented, they are often severely burned and disfigured or killed when their preparations explode. Such accidents endanger others in nearby homes or buildings.”

The same article reported: “Illegal meth labs create a lot of toxic waste as well,” said DrugFreeWorld.org, “the production of one pound of methamphetamine produces five pounds of waste. People exposed to this waste material can become poisoned and sick.”

Covington’s “luck” eventually ran out, costing him a lot of money and jail time in 2015. When Covington first got caught for his illegal behavior, he was homeless and living in his mom’s barn. One night, he came back to his mom’s house after making a batch of meth to sell.  

 “I came into the driveway and there were cops everywhere,” Covington said.  

Cops had found chemicals and glassware from one of Covington’s labs, enabling them to arrest him on the spot. Later on, Covington found out that his mom was the one who called the cops on him. He said that he doesn’t remember feeling angry toward her and that they ended up building a better relationship after he got caught. His mom would call him in jail, and she has supported him throughout his journey of becoming clean ever since.  

Covington spent eight months in jail. He managed to be bailed out and received a sentence of probation. Not long after he got out of jail, he was caught violating his probation from continuing to make and use meth which cost him another four months in jail. He was bailed out the second time as well.  

“Even after I was convicted and put on probation, I still didn’t stop doing and making meth,” Covington said. “After a while I had enough of it and I knew I had to change something drastic. I was about to lose my place anyways, so I put all my stuff in a storage shed and went to the homeless shelter in Iowa City. That’s when I chose to be clean. (When I was at the shelter) I did not have a ride to court in Tipton one day, so they issued an arrest warrant for me.”

Covington was threatened with 35 years in prison if he was to continue his actions.  

“That’s what turned me away from (meth) because, at that time, I was 30 years old, and I just couldn’t imagine spending my whole life in jail or prison,” Covington said. “I know myself and don’t know if I would have let them take me into handcuffs again if it was going to be for 35 years so I would have just gone all out until I died. No doubt about it.”

Covington spent a total of five years using and making meth. He decided that enough was enough in 2016 when he was caught by law enforcement.  

Covington said his journey to becoming clean has not been perfect. He said that in the beginning, he would go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings to get support. Covington said getting over the addiction period of 90 days was very hard. His sleeping pattern is not normal to this day. He follows a pattern of getting a few hours of sleep for three or four days and then will sleep excessively for three or four days. He also still experiences dreams and thoughts of getting high. Although Covington’s sleep patterns are not ideal, he has learned to live with them and said that the only problem he struggles with as a result is irritability when he does not sleep. 

“The biggest thing that has contributed to my success (in becoming clean) today is moving 200 miles from where I was,” Covington said.  

Covington had to break his old habits by staying away from his friends who did drugs with him and staying in the same environment that could bring all of those routines back.  

“When I quit, I lost a lot of my friends that I used to do drugs with, but I am totally cool with that,” Covington said. “Now I have been able to re-establish relationships with my family.” 

He ended up moving to Des Moines and got the therapy that he needed to be able to cope with his mental illnesses such as PTSD and anxiety. Covington still has symptoms of PTSD such as fearing larger groups of people. He said that he has learned to cope with these experiences by knowing his limits and taking himself out of those situations when he needs to.  

“I knew I needed to change something, and I never looked back,” Covington said. “I moved to Des Moines and started a whole new life.” 

Covington has been very open about his past struggles because he wants to spend his future helping people who are in the same situation. He is currently attending Grand View University, obtaining a 4.0 GPA and working toward a bachelor’s degree in Social Services and a minor in Psychology. Covington currently works as a board director at Central Iowa Shelter and Services, a homeless shelter in Des Moines. He is on the program and client services sub-committee since the shelter is in the process of expanding. The shelter has a veteran grant per diem program, and Covington was able to advocate to make sure the new rooms are saved for veterans.  

Another goal of Covington’s is to complete a Master’s Degree in social work to become a substance abuse mental health therapist. Covington is striving to help other people who have gone or are going through similar situations that he has endured. He said that he’s very understanding of the topic and can be very relatable.

Covington has picked up new hobbies since becoming sober. One of his hobbies includes biking with his wife. They both own mountain bikes and road bikes. Covington said that picking up the hobby of biking has not only gotten him in shape but has also given him a new outlet instead of relying upon drugs.  

“The substance abuse was a symptom of the mental health problems that I was dealing with, so when I get out and ride my bike, it helps alleviate the PTSD,” Covington said. 

Covington and his wife, Janelle Covington, met after he pledged to stay clean and moved to Des Moines. His wife’s brother-in-law works at a correctional facility in Fort Dodge, so he was able to do a background check on Covington. 

Janelle’s sister and brother-in-law presented her with paperwork on Covington and Janelle said, “Actually he has already told me all of that, so none of that is new information, but thank you for loving me enough to do that.” 

Covington ended up talking to his wife about his background within the first few days of their relationship.  

“Him being open and honest about it, meant a lot,” Janelle said. “If I would have found out from my family before he told me, I think that that would have caused a significant trust issue with my background with other people, that immediately helped me take my guard down. It wasn’t completely down, but it helped.”  

Covington is staying on track, continuing to be sober and working toward a better future. One of his goals is to move to Colorado Springs with his wife when he completes his major at GV. Covington proposed to his wife on Pikes Peak in Colorado and he and his wife say that they loved being in Colorado’s environment.

“We felt good when we came back,” Janelle Covington said. “There was no stress, and we felt healthier in every way.” 

Covington has learned some lessons while overcoming addiction. He said the biggest thing to keep in mind is that the first 90 days are the most important.  

“Recovery is different for everyone, just like life,” Covington said. “You got to find what works for you and what doesn’t and whatever works for you, just stick with it. Whatever it takes.