Poet shares addiction struggle

July 3, 2016 at 12:06a.m.

BOARDMAN

When Dennis Zitello Jr. was 14, his baseball talents and athleticism were such that he was part of a youth group that played a game with a Pittsburgh Pirates farm team in Florida.

The teen never thought, however, that such promise would place him on a trajectory that led to years of drug addiction.

“That could have led to the minor leagues, but I thought I was missing out on life. Baseball made me feel like I was missing out,” the 38-year-old Youngstown man said, referring to a major catalyst that put him on the fast track for using drugs, getting into fights and making other negative choices.

Nevertheless, Zitello also has spent several years working to turn his life around and beat his addictions. That includes sharing his struggles to help others – something he did while hosting Saturday’s “Walking in Recovery, In These Streets” gathering at Boardman Park.

During the five-hour event and cookout that many family members and friends attended, Zitello signed copies of his 2016 book, “In These Streets.”

The book is a collection of poems and illustrations that highlight his addictions while trying to offer encouragement and hope to others undergoing the same or similar struggles. Additional themes throughout include handling depression and dealing with having been a victim of sexual abuse, Zitello noted.

In his early 20s, Zitello, who also suffers from depression and bipolar disorder, injured his back and soon became addicted to prescribed painkillers. In addition, he started smoking marijuana, but it wasn’t long before Zitello’s world darkened further, he recalled.

“After that, everything spiraled out of control,” he said. “Cocaine became my drug of choice. I was a ‘poly-substance’ abuser, meaning someone who uses anything.”

Several years later, a turning point came after Zitello’s third overdose, because at that point, his brother, Ken, cut ties with him and refused to allow Dennis to see Ken’s son, Spencer, now 6. The decision was devastating to Dennis, and a short time later, he sought help at the Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic in Youngstown.

“Me and my brother were like best friends growing up,” Dennis Zitello said, adding that he credits Jonathan Wilkins, a Neil Kennedy counselor, for saving his life.

Other major pieces of his recovery, which he called “a 10-year process,” have been turning to God and using his talents as a poet to reach out to and help others, said Zitello, who attends Greater New & Living Way Temple of the Apostolic Faith Church in Sharon, Pa.

Zitello added he feels that effective ways to curb the Mahoning Valley’s heroin epidemic are to more vigorously prosecute drug dealers and educate children earlier and more consistently on the dangers of addiction, including offering classes devoted solely to the problem.

One person who readily can relate to Zitello’s struggles and triumphs is Rocky DeFrank, an evangelist at the Sharon church, who recalled having had drug addiction as a centerpiece for his life beginning at a young age.

“I had a bad reputation growing up. Most of my friends are dead, in prison or are still addicts,” DeFrank said, adding that one of his brothers died from heart failure after a drug overdose, and another is incarcerated.

Like Zitello, DeFrank somehow found spiritual and inner strength to cope with and try to tackle his struggles. He also conducts street ministries for addicts and is trying to put a dent in the region’s heroin epidemic.

“[Drug addiction] destroys families. I tried to keep an eye on him, but I never gave him money,” said Zitello’s mother, Mary Moore of North Lima. “[Instead], I was his taxi to the doctor’s and his taxi to the hospital.”

Moore said her son, who has been clean two years, had surgery about six months ago to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his kidneys. Nevertheless, he underwent only 14 days of dialysis, despite facing the likelihood the procedure would be much longer.

“I’m proud of him; he’s come a long way,” Moore said, adding that she also struggled with feeling she had failed him as a parent. “He’s on the right road, and I don’t see a fork anywhere now.”

Also happy with Zitello’s progress is Ken Zitello, 35, of Poland, who recalled not having recognized warning signs of early addiction in his older brother.

Trouble became apparent, however, when Dennis exhibited odd behavior, such as unexpectedly falling asleep at inappropriate times. Soon it became undeniable that something was wrong, Ken continued.

“I always worry about him,” Ken said, adding that the two have rebuilt a close relationship and that Dennis sees a lot of Spencer. “I’ll always be here for him.”

Giving additional testimonials during the gathering were Lucinda Good, who runs “The Boom,” a Christian-based youth and young-adult center in Grove City, Pa.; Charles Pinion, a counselor with Ohio Valley Teen Challenge; and George Smith of Greater New & Living Way Church.

Good read from 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, which in essence talks about how people can be given more challenges and suffering than they can handle themselves, which acts as an incentive for those affected to stop trusting solely in themselves and trust in God.

Pinion and Smith shared how having turned to God helped them overcome the effects of numerous negative decisions they had made so as to mentor others. Their main difficulties were dealing with drug addiction, having a lack of positive role models, engaging in criminal behavior and gang activity, and suffering from abuse.

The Mahoning Valley has plenty of resources to help those with drug and alcohol addictions, but the main piece of the puzzle also is perhaps the most difficult one to add: acknowledging that one needs help in the first place, Zitello said.

“It was one of the hardest choices I’ve had to make in my life,” he added. “And I’ve made some hard choices.”