Jim Wolf says he’s struggling with alcoholism again following his widely publicized makeover.
Dégagé Ministries
Jim Wolf, a 54-year-old homeless veteran, pled guilty Monday to charges of trespassing and creating a disturbance at a Grand Rapids Burger King.
In a video uploaded to YouTube earlier this month, Wolf was given a makeover by Grand Rapids charity Dégagé Ministries. The clip — which describes Wolf's struggles with alcoholism and poverty — ends hopefully, with the promise of Wolf starting to regularly attend Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. (As of Thursday, the video has more than 15 million views.)
On Monday, Wolf pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges after being arrested on Nov. 17.
"I have been drinking," Wolf acknowledged to WOOD-TV. "I have no excuse for what I do wrong. It is all me putting a bottle to my mouth."
Wolf said he still plans to seek help and work toward rehabilitation; "With the help I'm going to receive, I believe I can become clean," he said.
Dégagé Ministries' Rob Bliss told CNN he didn't expect Wolf to stay completely on-track after the makeover.
"If he gets arrested fewer times this year than last, that's progress," he said.
According to MLive/Grand Rapids Press, other local charities have been critical of the video's message.
"Addiction and homelessness is a complex condition," said Diane Birtles of Mel Trotter Ministries. "It's not solved as simply as the video might indicate."
