So many great blogs and sites offer a wide range of help to those of us who have had substance abuse and/or other mental illness issues. Although I believe that addiction is an emotional illness, I know that I had to learn about the times that my brain was out to get me.

From Heroes in Recovery: “Heroes’ Manifesto”:

“Here’s to the hopeful. The overcomers. The life changers. The optimists who would choose a happy beginning over a happy ending any day of the week. They know their dings, dents, bruises and bumps are the things triumphant stories are made of. They hope. They push. They feel. They heal. They acknowledge the past, but focus on the power and possibility of right here, right now. They believe choices we make today are the foundation for a healthy, happy tomorrow – and it’s never too late to life the life you want.”

“We are a community for the hopeful. We believe bringing people together is the best way to help others help themselves. By extending love instead of passing judgment, we can share stories and help others understand that today can be the first day of their lives – Day One.”

Inspiring Stories of Heroes in Recovery:

1.  Anthony P. Lee:

Hello, my name is Anthony, and my story is not that different than the next person’s. I named it “Seven Years Clean & Climbing,” because seven years ago was the last time I got high or used drugs. In 2005, a devastating force of nature by the name of Hurricane Katrina changed my life forever.

I was a victim of crack cocaine for a very long time, it wasn’t until Hurricane Katrina that I realized I was in denial. This monster, took control of my life and I didn’t even know it– or I didn’t want to know it because I was in so much
pain. I found myself in California after I was displaced from New Orleans, no family, no money or job. I was all alone or so I thought.

Little did I know that “GOD” was seeing me through the hardest time in my life. I lived in a homeless shelter for almost five years after I got out here to California. My home was Martha’s Kitchen & Village. There I rebuilt my relationship
back with “Jesus” and he showed me the way back to “GOD.”

There’s more to my story, we can get into that at another time; I just wanted to let those of you who are out there lost that there is a solution; you don’t have to be afraid. You’re not alone; all you have to do is ask. As GOD as my
witness it will be okay.

2.  Jennifer Street:

Pretty much I had lost everything I had worked for my whole life. I was a single parent, went to college, got a degree and worked 23 years in the medical field. During that time, the company I worked for sent me to rehab twice. I just kept on drinking. I lost my job because I went to work drinking and from there I lost my youngest daughter and then I lost my house, and then pretty much after all that I just gave up. I didn’t feel like I was worth anything, so
if I was awake I was drinking.

After I lost my job I had several good jobs, but I would lose them for calling in “sick.” But each time something
happened I’d say, “This is it. I’m not doing this again.” I’m 42 years old and ended up in the ER with alcohol toxicity, and it pretty much took me 10 days to detox, but I wasn’t really surprised because I’ve been drinking for 20 years off and on.

From detox I went to a short-term rehab and stayed 30 days there, and while I was there I decided that if I went back to where I came from, the next time I might not be so lucky. I may be dead. Plus I talked to my girls – I have two daughters ages 14 and 24 – I talked to them and I need to be there for them. I had lost so much of that time already. That was my turning point: I had lost so much already– my friends, my job, my self-esteem.

And just knowing that my girls still loved me, I knew I had to fight. 

That’s when I decided to go to long-term rehab. And that’s how I ended up at The Next Door.

I’ve been there four months and I can’t tell you how much better I feel. I’ve done a complete turnaround. They give you hope. Everybody there, they’ve turned my whole life around. Now I see a future with my family, and they found me a
job and it’s completely different than what I was doing before. Now I work for a catering company and I love it. I get up every morning and I’m thankful for where I’m at. I’m grateful.

The one thing that they have taught me is that without hope, my future is only as good as my past, and they’ve given me hope and the courage to stand. Altogether I’ve been through about seven rehabs but this is the first time that I actually wanted to change for me. The other times it was to keep my job or my house — material things — this time it’s for me.

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