community
Rebuilding a Life
november3
2016
3
continued from front page
into a lot of bar fights, getting kicked the past.”
Scott married when she was 18
out of parties. I was just being belliger-
Anyone who knows Desmond and pregnant, and later developed a drug
ent and stupid. Working, drinking and Hines knows he’s a hard worker who is addiction. She has since cleaned up her
fighting... that was my life.”
also a bit hard headed. He is smart, de- life, remarried, and is raising her three
Hines says during his early termined, and very capable; a guy who girls and two step-daughters in a clean
twenties he was arrested about 30 times, will show up when he says and get the and healthy environment in Vernonia.
mostly for minor things like disorderly job done.
“In our twenties Desmond lived next
conduct, assault, resisting arrest, and
Once he decides to do some- door to me in a trailer, says Scott. “Most
even an assault of a police officer.
thing, that’s what he does, and that’s of his adult life Desmond has lived in a
While Hines talks about this what happened when he decided to trailer - on a property here, at the end of
time in his life somewhat cavalierly, he “control his drinking.” He stayed out of the road there - and he couch surfed a
also recognizes that what he was
lot. But he always worked for
doing with his life was wrong,
his room and board.” She says
“There have been a lot of rough
and that he hadn’t had any
their group of friends would
obstacles in my life that I hadn’t dealt with
good role models or any kind
hang out together, have BBQs,
appropriately until I went to prison,” says
of support system. In his 20s
attend weddings. “We were
Hines. “When you’ve been emotionally
he tried to commit suicide sev-
like a big family,” she says.
damaged
it’s
hard
to
trust
people
or
let
eral times. He knows he made
Scott confirms that
people in your life, because they might
bad decisions. He also knows
Hines’s relationship with her
hurt you like you’ve been hurt in the past.”
he lacked direction. “I’ve done
children has been positive.
some pretty dumb stuff with my
“He’s always been ‘Uncle Des’
life and took a lot of risks,” he says. “I trouble and was a positive influence in and he’s always been the best uncle that
thought, ‘If I die, who cares.’ I always the lives of many of his friends’ kids. “I my kids have, even though they’re not
had this low self-esteem and no self- was Uncle Des,” he says with a smile. related,” says Scott. “Desmond is there
worth.”
“I took care of them, taught them to ride for them. He’s always been really clear
When he was 23 his blind right bikes, to fish. They come up to me to- about enforcing rules, but they could al-
eye started causing him problems with day and tell me they missed having me ways go and talk to him and he would
severe pain from pressure build up. “It around. It’s nice to be loved by some- give them guidance from his life experi-
was putting me on the ground, it was so one unconditionally.”
ences. He’s a good influence and teach-
painful,” says Hines. He finally went to
es them a good work ethic.”
***
see a doctor who immediately referred
Dawn Scott is one of Hines’s
According to Scott, Hines
him to a specialist who removed the closest friends – they’ve known each would still get drunk on beer and do stu-
eye the next day in emergency surgery. other since they were teenagers and pid things, but he was much more fun to
“I’ve been dealing with this one eye were like brother and sister. They par- be around, more in control, and wasn’t
thing my whole life, and most people tied together and ran in the same circle of getting in trouble like he had in the past.
didn’t have anything good to say about friends, including Darrell Schoonover. “He was a happy drunk when he wasn’t
it,” says Hines. “It’s where a lot of the They grew up in similar circumstances drinking hard alcohol,” says Hines.
fighting came from.”
– Scott also had a single and abusive fa-
“When Desmond went to pris-
“It ain’t been no easy ride,” he ther, with no mother in the household, on, I was completely honest with my
says looking back. “I might have settled and brothers who ended up as alcoholics kids, and told them what was going on,”
down but I didn’t feel I was responsible and in trouble with the law.
continued on page 5
enough to have a family. I just thought
I wanted to drink and be a piece of
shit my whole life because that’s what
FULL
SPORTS
I thought I deserved. I knew what my
PACKAGE!
father had been like and people used
to tell me, ‘Des, you are just like your
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7
dad.’ That told me, ‘I’m going to beat
my kids,’ so I didn’t want to have kids.
I knew if I kept drinking and with my
anger issues, that’s where I would end
up, like my dad.”
***
Sat, Nov. 5
When he was 24 Hines says he
Triple Edge Band
• Specialty hamburgers
woke up in the drunk tank, and had a
Sun, Dec. 4
• 8 Draft beers & mixed drinks
revelation. “I decided it was going to
Texas Hold ‘em
• 5 Craft beers on tap
be the last time,” says Hines. “I just de-
cided this wasn’t where I wanted to be
• Pool tables & satelite TV
anymore and I wasn’t going back to jail
• Free Wi-fi
for anything.” He says he cut back on
• Beer & Kegs to go
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his drinking and figured out that if he
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stuck to beer instead of hard booze he
733 Bridge St, Vernonia • 503-429-9999
could stay out of trouble; which he did
for the next five years – no tickets, no
arrests, no trips to jail.
“It’s a complete alcohol in-
duced delusion,” says Hines about the
way he dealt with his drinking. “I knew
cheap liquor would get me in trouble but
I also knew I could drink cheap beer all
Karaoke
day and just be a happy drunk guy.” It
Every 2nd & Last Friday
was a rationalization, but it worked... to
Taco Tuesday
a degree.
from opening until 9pm
“There have been a lot of rough
3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25
obstacles in my life that I hadn’t dealt
with appropriately until I went to pris-
Ladies’ Night
on,” says Hines. “Now that I’m com-
every Thursday 6pm-close
pletely sober and had a lot of time to
think about those things, I’ve been able
to put them in the past and work towards
the future. When you’ve been emotion-
• Free Pool • Free WiFi • Specialty Pizzas
ally damaged it’s hard to trust people
or let people in your life, because they
iheck our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events
might hurt you like you’ve been hurt in
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503-429-5841
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