Real Stories. Real Recovery.

 “I had been so full of anger and shame, and suddenly there was this feeling of peace that I didn’t recognize. That was the first time I realized I could heal.”

Meet Mickey, a man learning to love life again after two decades in addiction.

“ I just celebrated nine months sober yesterday.”

“I started drinking when I was about 14. It started to become a problem when I was 19. My life was becoming a mess, and I wasn’t sure what to do or how to get out of it. It got really scary. It got very dark. I lost some very important people because of my actions and because of my addiction.”

After two decades of living in addiction, he knew something had to change.

“I had just kind of had enough. I knew this life. I knew these consequences: the guilt, the shame, waking up sick every day, literally crawling from my bed to the bathroom a lot of times. It was no way to live.”

His doctor, who had watched him struggle for years, was the one who helped him find Sobriety House.

“When I first walked in the doors, I was terrified. I didn’t know what to expect. I was shaking, I was sick, I was emotional. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. But everyone there—every staff member, every client, was so welcoming. I remember thinking, ‘Okay, maybe this is where I’m supposed to be.’”

In time, Mickey’s fear turned into willingness, and he began to take the first steps toward healing.

“It took me a little while to come out of my shell, but once I did, I just absorbed everything—every group, every conversation, every chance to share. Then someone said, ‘You don’t ever have to live like that again,’ and I realized they were right.”

“I remember sitting in group one day, listening to someone talk about gratitude, and I just started crying. I hadn’t felt gratitude in years. I had been so full of anger and shame, and suddenly there was this feeling of peace that I didn’t recognize. I think that was the first time I realized I could heal.”

That first glimpse of peace gave Mickey something to hold onto. When the hard days came, he showed up anyway.

 “On the days I didn’t want to, when I thought, ‘I can’t do this,’ I kept showing up because something in me said, ‘You need to see this through.’ Little by little, it started getting better. I started laughing again. I started caring about myself again. I started connecting with people in ways I hadn’t in years.”

Each day of showing up brought Mickey closer to the life he’d once thought was out of reach.

“My life has changed in every single way possible for the better. I did a lot of hard work with my therapists and the clinicians. We celebrate together how far we’ve come. This was a journey that I couldn’t have done without them.”

“I actually love myself now. That’s new for me.”
“I was in this spiral of self-hatred and self-pity and just feeling sorry for myself, and Sobriety House taught me how to take accountability. Mistakes are okay. It doesn’t mean I’m a bad person; it just means the circumstances maybe weren’t so good.”

As Mickey continued his recovery, he began to see the promises of sobriety coming true.

“I’m in school now, I have a full-time job that I love. I’ve got my relationships back with the people that mean the most to me, and I have a relationship with myself that is full of respect and patience and compassion, things I never knew before.”

“I graduate Phase Two at the end of the month, and I’m moving into a house with a roommate who’s also in recovery. I’ve never lived on my own, and it’s really exciting. I will have independence for the very first time in my life, and that is because of my work with my therapist. She saw something in me that I didn’t see.”

“Sobriety House taught me the tools I needed to succeed.”

“They held my hand through the traumas that life has thrown at me and helped me see the other side. Because of them, I see meaning in the traumas that I’ve been through. Now it’s almost a beautiful thing, because I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Today, Mickey lives in the light of everything he once thought he’d lost. Proof that hope and healing grow stronger together.

“It’s scary. It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do, but it’s the most rewarding thing. Sobriety House will hold your hand at first, but they’ll very quickly give you the tools you need to take the reins on your own life. They’ll stand near you, support you, watch you grow, and they’ll be there to celebrate with you. Even the little wins are big wins to this team.”

“Being in active addiction is bleak and sad, but there is hope. If you want help, ask for it.”