Stories

Too many lies and too much pride, / But from the truth, even with their masks, they cannot hide.

Leanna Woodhouse
I'm writing to let you know that you are not alone.

Leanna Woodhouse
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
It is the little things, you know. If it weren't for making a point to recognize the little things and finding purpose in helping people, I probably wouldn't be here, and not here as in work. I wouldn't be here at all, as in on this Earth.

Kandi Workman
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 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 am proud of who I have become. I am proud of being an active member of society. I have a job now. I’ve served meals at the city mission as a reminder of where I don’t want to put myself again.

Anonymous
If I didn’t share my story for the next person who was walking in my shoes, people might forget to dream, to have hope, to have friends. I used to push everybody out. Now, I want those things.

Anonymous
My five-year-old son looked at me and said, “Mommy, you’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”

Anonymous
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
There’s not a magic number with recovery. Recovery’s a daily thing.

Cece
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.
It is my personal mission to be a face, voice, and light of hope for recovery every day I am on this earth. What I have discovered from this journey of recovery is how to trust in my faith, love others, love myself, and be present in the moment.

Honesty Liller
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
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

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Too many lies and too much pride, / But from the truth, even with their masks, they cannot hide.

I'm writing to let you know that you are not alone.

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.

It is the little things, you know. If it weren't for making a point to recognize the little things and finding purpose in helping people, I probably wouldn't be here, and not here as in work. I wouldn't be here at all, as in on this Earth.

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 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 am proud of who I have become. I am proud of being an active member of society. I have a job now. I’ve served meals at the city mission as a reminder of where I don’t want to put myself again.

If I didn’t share my story for the next person who was walking in my shoes, people might forget to dream, to have hope, to have friends. I used to push everybody out. Now, I want those things.

My five-year-old son looked at me and said, “Mommy, you’re doing great. I’m proud of you.”

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.

There’s not a magic number with recovery. Recovery’s a daily thing.

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

It is my personal mission to be a face, voice, and light of hope for recovery every day I am on this earth. What I have discovered from this journey of recovery is how to trust in my faith, love others, love myself, and be present in the moment.

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.

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.

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