[somber music]
DAVID: My name is David.
I'm 26 years old.
I live in Roseville.
JESSIE: David is the brother that I never had.
Growing up with David was one of the most
exciting and fun things I could say ever happened in my life.
He is extremely intelligent, caring.
[ominous music]
Pizza.
My son David, he is addicted to crystal meth
and is a furious alcoholic.
David spends his nights behind a local grocery store.
I believe he sleeps on the ground.
He's been homeless for several months now, close to a year,
I would say.
David has lived on and off with us for several years.
We've kicked him out so many times I couldn't count.
DAVID: Me and my family's terms right now--
I don't really talk to them.
They don't really answer my calls.
They're just kind of done with me.
It kind of hurts.
I don't get it.
JESSIE: David's family has no clue what
else they can do to help him.
And at this point, my mom and myself,
we're the only ones that have hope for him now.
David's addiction has led me to my path
of studying psychology, having an emphasis on addiction,
and gender and sexuality. - That was it.
JESSIE: OK.
I convinced David to be on camera
and to be a part of this by telling him
this is gonna help me for my major
and for getting into graduate school.
David, sober, is someone you want to be around.
Excuse me.
Do any of you guys have $0.72, please?
Excuse me.
Do any of you guys have $0.30, by chance?
But it's so uncommon now that I
don't know what he's even like.
DAVID SENIOR: David's addiction is to the point where
it's really, really dangerous.
He's gonna do something crazy in one of his manic stages.
He's gonna get run over by a car.
He runs in the street, getting away
from whatever's chasing him.
He jumps on people's roofs.
He's gonna get shot by a homeowner.
[gentle music]
PATSY: David was born on Christmas morning, 1988.
It was the best Christmas present
that anyone could ask for, having a child
born on Christmas morning.
Patsy and I, we just felt complete.
He was a handful.
He was one of those babies that just
needed to be held all the time.
Really fun kid.
He was always funny.
He had a great personality.
He was at my house as much as he was in his house.
David played baseball.
He played football.
He was an excellent athlete.
I mean, David was fast, big, strong.
I mean, I think David had what it
took physically to be a professional athlete some day.
He had a lot of promise in sports, I thought.
But David, growing up, always had some feminine qualities.
He would always partake in my cheerleading practices
at home, with me and my friends.
STEVE: David didn't have, you know, the drive.
He didn't have the passion.
He didn't have the love for the game.
Sports, to my brother and I, was all we thought
about when we were kids.
And we were very fortunate and blessed
to have a chance to do what we wanted to do to chase our dream
and do it.
DAVID SENIOR: As a professional baseball player,
I played a total of 15 years.
I played for the Los Angeles Dodgers,
the New York Yankees, Chicago White
Sox, and Oakland Athletics.
DAVID: Being a son and a nephew of professional athletes,
there was some pressure growing up.
Like, they were, you know, these athletic successful people,
and the whole family is.
And I'm, like, this loser who let their whole family down.
I believe David felt like he had to be successful at sports.
And I think they didn't like the idea that he wasn't following
in the footsteps of the family.
It bothered me that David didn't
have some kind of a passion.
It didn't have to be sports.
But I was just hoping that David would someday find something
that he really enjoyed doing.
We wondered if he felt pressure.
'Cause there were times that we would be out
and people would say, you know, are you gonna play baseball
like your dad and your uncle, are you gonna be as good
as your dad and your uncle?
By high school he had already started using and drinking.
I think his drug of choice then was pot.
David started using meth to numb the pain of his own
feelings of self-acceptance.
Now it's not even about that.
It's about the fact that he is a full-on addict.
David has been in trouble with the law.
So many times we've lost count.
He's been arrested for possession.
He's been arrested for assault.
Once he walked into the wrong house
and the people thought he was a burglar.
He's been tasered.
Twice arrested for driving under the influence.
Resisting arrest.
Drunk in public.
I caught him in my backyard trying to Jimmy my door,
and trying to get into my house.
I actually came home and I ran into him trying to do it.
He's just not the person he really is when he's using.
And it breaks my heart to see.
JESSIE: Everything is so unpredictable with David.
Sometimes we can't find David for hours
and hours, and sometimes days.
And it makes you go crazy with fear.
Oh, here he comes.
David. - OK.
- Calm down. - I'm paranoid right now.
I'm sick of the [bleep] damn government
hacking in [bleep] computers.
They're hacking computers.
They know everything.
You know, they frame you.
I'm sick of it.
You know?
They know everything.
They know-- they listen to-- they tap your phone calls.
They listen to where-- what you're saying.
It's [bleep].
It's none of their business.
I'm sick of them [bleep] with your bank accounts
and they [bleep] know every [bleep] thing you spend,
and I'm done.
OK.
It's bull [bleep].
All right, David.
He's arrested!
Mom, he's arrested.
- No. - Yes, right--
[bleep] no.
I knew this was gonna happen. JESSIE: He's arrested!
I knew it. I knew it.
What's it for? Look it up.
It's for a warrant.
A warrant.
Release date pending was today.
He's just got to go to court probably in the morning.
The bail is $21,000.
So right now there's only one option,
really, is we need to go bail him out.
Is that right?
He is eligible for bail.
It says online that his bail is $21,000.
So knowing all that, what are we-- what are you ready to do?
We don't know what else to do.
My problem is, you bail him out,
you might as well just take $21,000, write a check,
and throw it away. - Throw it out the window.
If he doesn't make his court date--
- Which he never does. - We're done, and he won't.
- --you're screwed. - We've been burned.
I'm not doing it again.
He's a runner.
I'm not doing it.
We're out.
[somber music]
[ominous music]
DAVID SENIOR: It rips my heart out
to see walking down the street as a addicted homeless man,
knowing that drugs are keeping you away
from your family that loves you more than I can put into words.
But today you're being offered the opportunity of your life
that can change everything if you accept this offer.
We love you.
You have your sister.
You're gonna disrespect your sister.
David. David.
David, can you wait a minute?
Mom and--
We'd like you to wait, though.
Can't you just wait?
David.
David. DAVID: What?
Where are you going?
You have a flight you have to get on.
No.
Don't go drink a beer.
David, come on.
Come on, let's hurry up. 'Cause we've got
to get to the airport. We're gonna miss the flight.
You got to get on a flight.
You said you wanted to go to treatment.
Right? - Yeah.
Yeah. So we got to get on a plane.
- Oh, we do? - Yes.
- Yes. - Come on then, buddy.
- No. - What's the matter?
- Nothing's the matter. - Are you OK?
No. Don't touch me.
What's the matter?
David, why are you so angry?
- What are you so angry about? - What are you so angry about?
We're trying to help you.
That's OK. You don't have to like me.
- David, why are you angry? - I don't know.
I don't like any of this. - OK.
No, I'm walk--
I'm going.
Nothing.
We're trying to get you help.
Why are you making this so difficult?
Come on, David.
Get out of my [bleep] way, all of you.
- Oh, god. - Get out of my [bleep].
Oh, god.
I'm out.
It's been going on for 13 years.
We honestly-- if you don't take it, we can't do it anymore.
We can't.
You-- we'll lose our son if you-- today is it.
Today is the day.
Today is it.
It's--
--final.
Thank you, David.
You want food?
You hungry?
PATSY: Don't get out of the car now.
No, I'm getting out of the car.
PATSY: Wait, David.
David, we just got in the car.
MAN (ON INTERCOM): Can I help you?
What do you want, David?
PATSY: David, don't get out of the car now.
David.
What do you want, David?
We have to order.
[somber music]
So far, the most rewarding part of sobriety to me
has been talking to my family and seeing how happy everyone
is that I'm here.
And that, along with the peace of mind that I'm getting,
you know, seeing what just the beginning stages of what
being sober will lead to.
[the davenports, "five steps"] Know it enough to tell.
Five steps, you're over.