By Jeremy Hochman, SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Eddie DePalma is a man of many talents. He is a snowboarder, he is a handyman, and he was a professional paintballer. But all that wasn’t enough. He also cut hair for ten years, until he had enough.
“I just started getting sick of it, I wanted change,” said DePalma.
He is now a recovering drug addict. He has been clean for three years and now has a second chance at life, hence the name of his diner. He came up with the name in a dream he had earlier this year.
“It wasn’t supposed to be called Second Chance diner, [but] I went with it,” he said. “It’s a new journey, it’s a new life.”
DePalma was driving around his hometown of Camillus one day and passed what is now the site of his restaurant. He noticed it was for rent and talked to the landlord about transforming the building into a diner. He thought it was what the community needed. Second Chance diner has now been open for two weeks.
DePalma’s wife, Gabby, also works at the diner.
“We’ve been really busy,” she said. “Weekends are out the door. During the week it’s really steady.”
Gabby has been best friends with Eddie for 15 years. She learned he was using drugs very soon after they began dating. She realized his life was in danger for a very long time and he needed help. Gabby and Eddie now want to inspire others to turn their lives around. Her main advice is making the addict work for a new life, very simple yet challenging task.
“Tough love,” Gabby called the relationship she had with Eddie during his recovery.
Drug addicts may think they are alone and there is no one around to help, according to Eddie. Even though it could be embarrassing, accepting that you want change and that you need help is a big first step, he said. Programs, meetings, friends, and family are there for assistance.
“Try and just find that one person that they can at least talk to and at least just start talking about it,” said Gabby. “Just try and accept the help, and I know it’s tough but once you learn how to do that it does get easier.
Eddie went to meetings every day. He had to walk or take the bus. Now he is proud to own a truck, a business, and a home. He even has a baby on the way.
“Addiction doesn’t happen overnight,” he said. “You can’t fix it overnight.”
Once an addict accepts the help, staying focused on the plan of rebuilding and not messing up becomes the hardest part, Eddie said. All of the progress can disappear with one wrong decision, according to Eddie.
“We’re addicts, we like instant gratification,” he said. “You want to put your life back the way it was. It’s a slow and steady race.”
Eddie said he was an innocent kid who made one wrong choice. However, he said everyone deserves a second chance.
“I’m not ashamed of anything that I’ve done in my life,” he said. ” I’ve made mistakes, but the important part is that I fixed them, and I built something bigger and I show hope that just because you’re in a tough spot you can change your life. If I inspire one person, it was all worth it.”
Just like after 10 years of cutting hair Eddie knew he had to do something new, he eventually came to terms with his addiction and realized he needed help.
“One day I was sick and tired of being sick and tired,” he said.
