Leon Dickerson, Ph.D., LCSW, CASAC, is a licensed Certified Social Worker, and a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor. He was born in New York City in 1947, and grew up in Harlem where drugs, poverty, and crime were prevalent. Although overwhelmed and nearly destroyed by the negative effects these elements had upon his life, Dr. Dickerson managed to survive the turmoil of street city life. The author received his Doctorate Degree in Clinical Social Work from New York University in 1994. He is in private practice specializing in chemical dependency. Dr. Dickerson, a born-again Christian, truly believes that victims like himself who recover from the broken homes ravaged by alcoholism and manage to escape drug addiction and alcohol abuse, should not only thank God (their Higher Power) for their miracle, but should serve as living models and examples to others living in similar situations.