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Well, to be honest, there's been MANY successes that come to mind!  The first that popped into my head however was Lenny.  He was a RSAT community member I met back in the late 1990's.  Lenny was in his mid-30's, single, Cape Verdean and had a alcohol problem that led him into the criminal justice system.  However, when he had been incarcerated within another county facility, he began injecting heroin.  Lenny left that neighboring facility with an opiate addiction as well as other bothersome symptoms.  He found out within the community that he was HIV+ and Lenny was convinced that it was transmitted through sharing needles while incarcerated.  

Most people, whether criminal justice clients or not, would be angry and resentful at the system, blame others for his circumstances.  And he did for awhile after finding out about his diagnosis.  This was just about the time when the protease inhibitors were just coming out - the "AIDS cocktail" - which meant many pills at different times throughout the day.  It was a very strict regiment and overwhelmed him.  Lenny relapsed which brought him to our facility.  He was able to get back on his medications and also found out he was positive for Hepatitis C. He made the decision to turn around his life, volunteered for the RSAT Program and worked his way through the Steps, the Program and became a Team Leader after several months in our Therapeutic Community. But Lenny wanted more.  He also became a HIV Peer Leader.  He told other community members within the Unit about his status, about how it was transmitted to him and how he was dealing with it. This was a huge step for him since HIV was SUCH a stigma back then.  

Lenny was well-received and well-respected by most in the Unit.  He had shown courage in the face of addiction and (back then) a life-threatening diagnosis.  Both diseases came with the threat of fear, ignorance and isolation from others but he had turned it around and made the decision to come out, educate and empower.  Once he was released, he continued his Peer Mentoring / Educator role through AIDS Service Organiziations within the local community.  The last time I heard, which was awhile ago, he had moved away from this County, had started to become more ill, but was still active within the community.  I like to think that the RSAT Program, that was and still is a Therapeutic Community, peer-driven, recovery based, focused on cognitive self-change ... supported HIS choice to turn his life around and give back to others.  I'd like to think that.