Reporter: CHIP LAPO WAS
A SUCCESSFUL ENGINEER.
BUT WHAT DROVE HIM WAS NOT
THE IDEA OF MAKING BETTER
AUTOMOTIVE PARTS.
IT WAS COCAINE.
FOR YEARS HE HID HIS DRUG
PROBLEM.
I WOULD BRING IT TO WORK
WITH ME AND ACTUALLY DO
DRUGS WHILE I WAS AT WORK SO
THAT I COULD STAY AWAKE AND
I COULD STAY ALERT.
IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I
COULDN'T FUNCTION WELL
WITHOUT IT.
Reporter: CHIP'S FATHER
LEFT THE FAMILY WHEN CHIP
WAS ONLY A CHILD.
AND I HAD ACTUALLY HATRED
IN MY MIND AND IN MY HEART
FOR HIM.
AND WHEN I WOULD GET HIGH ON
THE MARIJUANA, OR GET LOADED
ON ALCOHOL, AND ULTIMATELY
ON COCAINE, IT WOULD TAKE
AWAY THE PAIN FROM THAT
EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE.
Reporter: IN COLLEGE,
CHIP'S LIFE WAS CENTERED
AROUND PARTIES, SEX, AND
GETTING HIGH.
I WAS ALWAYS THE GUY THAT
YOU COULD SEE OUT AT THE
CLUBS THAT HAD A COUPLE
HUNDRED BUCKS IN HIS POCKET
AND A COUPLE OF GRAMS OF
COCAINE IN HIS POCKET.
Reporter: BY THE TIME
CHIP GOT OUT OF SCHOOL AND
STARTED WORKING, HE WAS A
FUNCTIONAL ADDICT.
ONE NIGHT AT A BAR, HE MET
TONETTE.
SEEKING MORE THAN THE
ONE-NIGHT STAND
RELATIONSHIPS I HAD FOR SO
MANY YEARS, I STARTED TO
CARE FOR HER SO MUCH, I FELT
LIKE I WANTED TO GET MARRIED
TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
Reporter: CHIP ASKED
TONETTE TO MARRY HIM.
HE THOUGHT ABOUT LEAVING HIS
PARTY LIFESTYLE TO BECOME A
RESPONSIBLE HUSBAND.
INSTEAD, HE GOT TONETTE
HOOKED ON COCAINE.
I FELT LIKE I WAS SHARING
EVERYTHING WITH HER THAT
MADE ME FEEL GOOD.
IN REALITY, THAT'S REALLY
WHAT STARTED THE DEMISE OF
OUR RELATIONSHIP AND OF
HER -- ULTIMATELY, HER
LIFE.
Reporter: DESPITE HER
LIFESTYLE, TONETTE WANTED TO
HAVE THE WEDDING IN HER
CHILDHOOD CHURCH.
BUT HER PASTOR INSISTED THEY
GO THROUGH MARRIAGE
COUNSELLING.
BY THEN, CHIP WAS READY TO
TALK ABOUT WHERE HIS LIFE
WAS GOING.
I SAID, PASTOR, I DON'T
CARE SO MUCH ABOUT US
GETTING MARRIED AS I DO
ABOUT ME GETTING MY LIFE
RIGHT WITH GOD.
HERE I WAS CRYING OUT,
SAYING I WANT TO KNOW THE
LORD.
RESCUE ME.
THE VERY NEXT DAY, I WENT TO
MEET WITH HIM.
OCTOBER 16, 1997.
AT ABOUT 6:00.
AND AT 6:22 P.M., I GAVE MY
LIFE TO THE LORD.
Reporter: CHIP AND
TONETTE MARRIED.
THEY BOTH STOPPED USING
COCAINE AND DRINKING
ALCOHOL.
ALL WAS WELL, UNTIL THREE
YEARS LATER WHEN THEY TOOK A
TRIP TO CANCUN, MEXICO.
I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, YOU
KNOW WHAT, THIS WOULDN'T BE
A BIG DEAL.
WE CAN JUST HAVE ONE DRINK.
AND THEN WE HAD ONE
MARGARITA, AND THAT LED TO A
SECOND MARGARITA, AND A
THIRD MARGARITA, AND THEN WE
WERE DOING TEQUILA SHOTS AND
GOT TOTALLY, TOTALLY DRUNK.
SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, A
COUPLE OF LINES OF COCAINE
WOULD BE REALLY GREAT RIGHT
NOW.
AND I SAID, YEAH, I BET YOU
I CAN FIND IT.
TWO HOURS LATER WE WERE
SITTING IN THE HOTEL ROOM
DOING COCAINE.
Reporter: THAT DECISION
OPENED A DOOR THAT SHOULD
HAVE STAYED CLOSED.
BECAUSE WHEN THEY GOT HOME,
THEY WENT BACK TO USING
COCAINE.
HERE I'M TRYING TO HOLD
MY JOB DOWN AND DOING
COCAINE SOMETIMES WITHOUT
ANY SLEEP.
THE NEXT DAY GOING TO WORK,
I REALIZED I WAS ON A
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE PATH.
Reporter: FOR THE NEXT
TWO YEARS, THE COUPLE STAYED
HIGH AND THEY FOUGHT
CONSTANTLY.
ONE DAY AFTER AN ARGUMENT,
CHIP STORMED OUT OF THE
HOUSE AND CHECKED INTO A
HOTEL.
I TOLD HER I COULDN'T
TAKE IT ANYMORE, AND SHE WAS
BEGGING ME TO COME HOME.
AND I SAID, NO, I CAN'T COME
HOME.
Reporter: CHIP TOOK A
COUPLE OF DAYS TO COOL OFF
AND THEN WENT HOME.
I WALKED IN THE HOUSE AND
YELLED, TONETTE, TONETTE,
AND I STARTED WALKING UP THE
STAIRS AND THERE WAS STUFF
WRITTEN ON MIRRORS WITH
LIPSTICK.
I THOUGHT THIS IS CRAZY.
I WENT DOWN AND THOUGHT,
I'VE GOT TO SEE IF HER CAR
WAS THERE.
I OPENED UP THE GARAGE DOOR
AND HER CAR WAS THERE, AND
THE GARAGE SMELLED REAL
SMOKY.
AND I LOOKED IN THE CAR AND
I COULD SEE HER SLUMPED OVER
IN THE CAR.
AND I WAS YELLING, TONETTE,
TONETTE, AND HER EYES WERE
WIDE OPEN AND SHE DIDN'T
RESPOND TO ME.
Reporter: AFTER HIS
WIFE'S SUICIDE, CHIP WAS
RACKED WITH GUILT.
HIS DRUG ADDICTION CONSUMED
HIM.
EVENTUALLY HE LOST
EVERYTHING.
I STARTED STAYING AT
HOMELESS SHELTERS.
I LITERALLY, WHEN THE MONEY
RAN OUT, ENDED UP WALKING
THE STREETS HOMELESS AND
ADDICTED.
Reporter: EVEN THOUGH
HE STRUGGLED FOR YEARS WITH
HIS COCAINE HABIT, CHIP
NEVER FELT ABANDONED BY
GOD.
I BELIEVED THAT THE LORD
LOVED ME.
I NEVER BLAMED HIM FOR MY
CIRCUMSTANCES.
I JUST KEPT CRYING OUT TO
HIM.
NUMBER ONE, THAT I WANTED TO
BE FREE.
Reporter: TIME AFTER
TIME, CHIP WENT THROUGH
CYCLES OF GETTING ON HIS
FEET AND THEN FALLING BACK
INTO HIS OLD HABIT.
BUT ONE DAY THE CYCLE WAS
BROKEN.
I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE
ROAD, AND I WENT TO PUT THE
CRACK COCAINE INTO MY PIPE
AND TO LIFT IT TO MY MOUTH
WITH AZáIGHTER, AND I LOOKED
IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR, AND
I HEARD THIS AS CLEAR AS A
BELL, AS CLEAR AS I'M
SPEAKING TO YOU, YOU DON'T
NEED THAT.
AND I TOOK THAT PIPE AND I
THREW IT OUT THE WINDOW, AND
I TOOK THE COCAINE AND THREW
IT OUT THE WINDOW.
Reporter: THAT DAY CHIP
WAS SET FREE FROM A 30-YEAR
ADDICTION.
WOW.
IT FELT LIKE I CAME HOME.
LIKE I CAME HOME.
LIKE I WAS IN THIS PLACE AND
I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE I WAS,
BUT NOW I'M HOME.
AND THAT MY LIFEJ%÷ WAS GOING
TO COUNT FOR SOMETHING.
I KNEW IT WAS.
I KNEW THAT GOD WOULD USE
Reporter: TODAY CHIP
HELPS RECOVERING DRUG
ADDICTS STAY FREE THROUGH
THE POWER OF GOD'S LOVE.
WHEN I LOOK BACK AT MY
LIFE, I TRULY BELIEVE THAT
MY LIFE IS THE STORY OF THE
PRODIGAL SON.
THAT THE LORD BLESSED HIM
WITH SO MUCH, AND HE WENT
OUT AND HE SQUANDERED IT.
AND YET BECAUSE OF GOD'S
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND
FATHERLY NATURE, HIS FATHER
EMBRACES HIM AND LOVES HIM
BACK TO LIFE.
THAT'S MY DADDY.
THAT'S MY FATHER.
