Drug Alternative Program has been favored by God throughout the years. When we assert that this is not Cliff and Freddie Harris’s program, we do so with conviction. While our educational background was limited, we recognized the need to collaborate with highly qualified professionals to ensure DAP’s credibility and nonprofit status. God’s providence has been instrumental in positioning DAP at the forefront of its mission.
From the outset, our sincerest desire has been to engage DAP graduates and individuals who have personally struggled with addiction to join our team. We are delighted to introduce Anthony Frazier and Alton Conwell, two outstanding men. Their aspiration extends beyond merely helping individuals overcome addiction; they seek to guide them in establishing a personal relationship with Jesus and experiencing a life transformed by Christ, just as they have.
I am very happy to be back in close contact with DAP. Coming here has been like coming back home. Phyllis and I have a very real and deep connection with DAP. Of course, as a graduate, I am happy to be back with the Harrises, and Phyllis embraces my relationship with them, and has adopted them as her spiritual parents. She also celebrates the program, because it helped to put my life back together to be the man that I am now. Working with the guys has been very therapeutic for me. Phyllis and I have faced some very real and dire health challenges in the past 11 years, and to be in an environment of love and peace that nurture us both, has revitalized our souls.
It has been 25 years since I graduated from DAP, and my DAP diploma hangs on my wall right along with my diploma from Loma Linda University. Without my DAP certificate and the process that I underwent to earn it, I do not know where I would be. Mr. and Mrs. Harris have supported Phyllis and I throughout the years. When I was going through rough times in my first marriage, I called the Harrises to seek counsel. When we were faced with the decision of whether to amputate my leg or not, we called and asked their opinion. When the doctor told us that there was nothing else that they could do, save a heart transplant, we called the Harrises. Mrs. Harris is my Mom. When I entered the program, I had just lost my mother. Mrs. Harris stepped right in and filled that void.
Phyllis and I both grew up without a father, and we gravitate towards Mr. Harris for his sound advice. My relationship with him is crucial to my wellbeing. Yes, my relationship with Jesus is most important, but to have a man in my life that has faced the same demons and failures that I have, that seeks to be more like Jesus in all he does, has a strong impact in my life. When I think of him, I think of accountability and integrity. Those two characteristics were absent from both of our lives for twenty plus years.
I love working with these guys. It warms my heart to see the guys shed that guilt and shame that has plagued their lives. Seeing them grow and to be a part of that fills my soul with joy. Phyllis and I both pull from our combined experiences to pour love and wisdom into the eight gentlemen that are here now, and we pray for them daily along with the Harrises.
Coming to Huntsville to join the Harrises in this endeavor to make a difference in these sons of God has proven to be a huge blessing and we look forward to many more years of serving God through DAP. Anthony & Phyllis Frazier April 2025
I was introduced to DAP after marrying Cliff’s cousin, Patti, almost 32 years ago. I’ve always been impressed with Cliff and Freddie’s commitment to helping men overcome their addictions. I love the wholistic method they use that includes spirituality, because it reminds me of my own story of addiction recovery.
I did not grow up in a family, like Cliff’s and Patti’s, that followed one set of religious beliefs. My family’s religious belief systems included Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, and Christian Scientists. To top that off, my mother sent me to Catholic boarding schools for junior high and high school. So, in my world, the only thing that connected these religious beliefs was the existence of a God.
I lived in Washington D.C. during the crack cocaine epidemic of the 80s, and I succumbed to the scourge of addiction that swept through the city. I was a functioning addict, meaning I went to work every day and had places to live and food to eat. Until I didn’t.
I’ll never forget sitting on the floor in the house I shared with a friend who let me move in, getting high. In that state, I called on God to get me out of my addiction. I told him I knew He made me better than what I was living, and I wanted to be the man He made me to be. From that point on, my probation periods began that altered my life completely. Within 90 days I found a job. Within another 90 days I met Patti and was introduced to her lifestyle, which integrated spirituality and religious practices into her daily life. Within another 90 days I met her parents and siblings and was introduced to the community where she grew up in Huntsville, Alabama. Within another 90 days we were engaged, and I willingly joined her faith. Throughout that time, I quit using drugs, I quit smoking, and I quit drinking. God answered my simple request when I gave myself over to His control.
I became more intimately connected to DAP when Patti offered to write Clifford’s book, “Deathdance,” and I learned his story of addiction and redemption. I was able to help Patti understand the nuances of the emotional and physical attachment to drugs that seem to make it impossible to resist. When she agreed to work for DAP to help promote their program and Cliff and Freddie’s expertise in addiction recovery, we were intricately connected daily. But I was always on the fringe, looking in while supporting Patti’s work with DAP. That is, until Cliff asked me to become personally involved.
So now it’s my turn to bring my experience with addiction recovery to the clients of DAP. Although my professional career was built around finance, I’ve always been a coach at heart. I received degrees in counseling and athletic coaching and administration, but have always practiced those skills on the side, primarily as a basketball coach and now as a scholarship coach. Working with DAP allows me to use my coaching skills in a different way and brings me full circle in my own experience. From addiction to recovery to helping others in their recovery journey, I’m excited to “give back” to the clients of DAP.
Family member, we appreciate your love and financial support, which enables us to bring on board individuals like Anthony and Al, who assist their brothers in becoming Christlike and productive members of society.
Our hearts are overflowing!
