Recovering Tulsa Meth Addict Gets Second Chance

Lori Fullbright, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- This is a story about a kid raised in a typical Oklahoma home, who fell into life of drugs, became addicted to meth and landed in jail.

But, Clifton Keathley's story doesn't end there. He was given a second chance and has made the most of it.

Clifton Keathley grew up in a religious home where he was home schooled. He earned a full scholarship to ORU, but dropped out after a year, drifted between odd jobs and began smoking pot, then about five years ago, someone offered him meth.

"I was hooked. I was hooked. I did it 24-7 although I had to sleep sometimes, but, I'd be up for days on end, 5, 6, 7 days and living that lifestyle and hanging with those people, brought trouble," he said.

His entire focus was getting his next fix and he lost touch with his family, and then started selling crystal meth to others.

"I was what's called a lazy tweaker. I just stayed at home, was a recluse. People came to me. I worked on cars, worked on computers. I've been a nerd, am always a nerd," Clifton said.

He was arrested once and got probation but never stopped using, even went to court high. Then, he got arrested again and faced an ultimatum.

"Here's the deal, you're looking at 10 years in prison or you can go to drug court, what would you like to do? I was like, I want out," he said.

He thought he'd breeze through the program, but with all the counseling and strict requirements, he began to change and put his addiction behind him.

He graduated from drug court, got married, bought a home and just graduated with a bachelor's in computer science.

It's a life he couldn't have imagined just five years ago. He carries an old ID in his pocket to remind him of how far he's come.

"I wanted something better for my life, something I could look back and be very proud of myself. I'm getting to that point. I've got a ways to go, but, I've definitely come a long way," he said.

Clifton's back in church, to the values he was raised with. He plans to start his Masters this fall and is looking for a job in his field of IT.

He's working on his relationship with his children and hopes his story helps others who are going through the drug court program.