Stories

I always wanted my music to help someone, and now I have that chance.

JG
Write it down. Dig fossils, / open graves, take up / the blanched eye of grief. / Slam doors. Plant flowers. Grow. / Who are you now? / Make a list. Write it down.

Kari Gunter-Seymour
You can’t lift anybody up by putting them down because they already feel that way. They need to know they are worth it. They are worthy.

Edna
That week, down in the lower forty / we all got born again. / It was hard to say who saved who.

Kari Gunter-Seymour
It does not matter whether someone is in active addiction or recovery or some of the bad things. They are still people. They have feelings. Whenever you give people the time and the room and the safety nets to get into recovery, most will.

Jamie
I’ve gained so much back, and I’m just really grateful for it.

Jenn
I can say that my recovery family is amazing and very supportive. And I know that if I continue to do the next right thing, that’s the best thing I can do to build back the relationships that I damaged so much in the past.

Amber
I’m still growing, but I do not fight addiction anymore. It’s been conquered in the blood of Jesus and through my testimony.

Paul Bell
I just feel like anything you go through in addiction can be overcome with recovery. They always say that your best day in addiction is still worse than your worst day in recovery, because it’s still a bad day. And I had to forgive myself, I had to ask for forgiveness from others, but you can overcome it and everything does get better.

Brook
Every day someone is at the point they are ready for help, and I want to be that person there to guide them, walk with them, hold their hand and be their shoulder—whatever they need, I want to be that in their life.

Lisa
Life’s about love, and I feel like that’s what I’ve looked for my whole life. And I found it here.

Nicki May
I have so much freedom in my life today, and I'm genuinely happy. I'm able to be a mom. I'm able to be a friend. I'm able to be a girlfriend. I'm able to be a daughter, a sister, a niece, a granddaughter; I'm able to be all of those things today. And if it wasn't for God, and the fellowship of AA, and these steps and my sponsor and everything, I wouldn't have all of this.

Jessica S.
I guess the best thing I can do is lead by example. Keep changing for the better more and more every day, keep in contact with those people, and just try to lead by example, like I said, get them to make the right decisions, not because someone told them to but because they can see that there is a better way; that there is a light.

Bryce C.
We have a lot of guys in this program, past and present, who have spent their whole lives watching people avoid them, myself included. But it’s all changed now. People want to be around us. People want to hear our stories. People want our help today.

Michael Robinette
I started out my recovery with service and carrying a message that an addict—any addict—can stop using drugs, can lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live. Today I’m really grateful for the opportunity to get to continue to carry that message into recovery homes: a light into darkness.

Jennie Hill
Just by having faith and putting my all into it and doing what is uncomfortable, I’ve been able to have a life where I can help others that are also going through the same struggles as I am and have a family, and actually love my life and be happy about it.

Anna Holley
I have true friends today, like genuine friends that love and care about me.

Megen
I am a grateful recovering alcoholic and addict. That is not my identity today. Today, I'm a father. Today, I’m a husband. Today, I'm able to be a son to my mother and my father. I get to live life in a way that I’ve never been able to experience before.

Joe Young
I hope that anybody listening that's still suffering—if you need anything, reach out to me. This is what keeps me sober is by helping other people. I cannot keep what I have if I don't give it away.

Bernard Slater Jr.
My stepmom said, last week, “If you get through this quarantine thing without using, I’m really gonna start thinking that you might not.” And I was like, “Don’t say that!” She was like, “I cannot believe all the things that you have endured.” There really have been a lot, but my life is so awesome. I’ve put in a lot of work. I’ve never stopped.

Rachel Thaxton

Stories tagged with: Audio

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I always wanted my music to help someone, and now I have that chance.

Write it down. Dig fossils, / open graves, take up / the blanched eye of grief. / Slam doors. Plant flowers. Grow. / Who are you now? / Make a list. Write it down.

You can’t lift anybody up by putting them down because they already feel that way. They need to know they are worth it. They are worthy.

That week, down in the lower forty / we all got born again. / It was hard to say who saved who.

It does not matter whether someone is in active addiction or recovery or some of the bad things. They are still people. They have feelings. Whenever you give people the time and the room and the safety nets to get into recovery, most will.

I’ve gained so much back, and I’m just really grateful for it.

I can say that my recovery family is amazing and very supportive. And I know that if I continue to do the next right thing, that’s the best thing I can do to build back the relationships that I damaged so much in the past.

I’m still growing, but I do not fight addiction anymore. It’s been conquered in the blood of Jesus and through my testimony.

Every day someone is at the point they are ready for help, and I want to be that person there to guide them, walk with them, hold their hand and be their shoulder—whatever they need, I want to be that in their life.

Life’s about love, and I feel like that’s what I’ve looked for my whole life. And I found it here.

We have a lot of guys in this program, past and present, who have spent their whole lives watching people avoid them, myself included. But it’s all changed now. People want to be around us. People want to hear our stories. People want our help today.

Just by having faith and putting my all into it and doing what is uncomfortable, I’ve been able to have a life where I can help others that are also going through the same struggles as I am and have a family, and actually love my life and be happy about it.

I have true friends today, like genuine friends that love and care about me.

I am a grateful recovering alcoholic and addict. That is not my identity today. Today, I'm a father. Today, I’m a husband. Today, I'm able to be a son to my mother and my father. I get to live life in a way that I’ve never been able to experience before.

I hope that anybody listening that's still suffering—if you need anything, reach out to me. This is what keeps me sober is by helping other people. I cannot keep what I have if I don't give it away.

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