Reasons for Living

“Now I have a sense of who I am, who I was” (Roy, 27).

During his seven-month stay at our Transitions Program for men, Roy became clean and sober. He also helped other clients to do the same. Overall, he left his mark on our entire program. While in treatment, he chaired a group called the Resident Run Committee, giving our clients a stronger voice and advocacy in their own treatment. He has also volunteered in the kitchen, and he has helped run 12-step meetings.

Roy’s childhood was a bumpy road. From his addictive home, he entered the Department of Social Services custody.

A rugged teen who enjoyed hiking and the outdoors, Roy used a variety of drugs, but, he says, “heroin brought me to my knees.”

It has been over a decade of addiction, various construction jobs, and eventually, incarceration. Toward the end of his prison sentence, Roy knew he did not want to return to the old lifestyle, so he entered treatment with CAB. Now, seven months later, his is transferring to a half-way house.

“Your thinking pattern just changes when you’re clean for a while,” says Roy. “Now I have a sense of who I am, who I was.”

               

*The names and photos have been altered to protect confidentiality, but these are true stories and direct quotes.