Homeless. Depressed. Lonely. Suicidal.
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Four years of drinking several pints of vodka every day brought me to my lowest point.

My obsession with drinking began in high school. Vodka and an occasional marijuana smoke to get me going. Seemed harmless enough and others were doing the same. I graduated high school and knew I wanted to work in the field of Psychology as a career path.

My plan began to fall apart for the worst as soon as I entered the dormitory at the university. Dorm life was certainly not for me. Drinking vodka every day. By my sophomore year my grades were failing so I was dismissed from school.

The pints of vodka drove me into a deep state of depression. I isolated myself from all outside contact with people and any social activity. Vodka…and more vodka. The $10,000 in my savings account funded my drinking. I spent every cent. I coaxed my grandmother into giving me more money.

Death was certain. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and thoughts of suicide gave me the idea to end all of the pain.

Please understand…I never asked for this sort of life. I never raised my hand in grade school and said, “I want to be an addict when I grow up”. Addiction was in me from the very first drink.

I was living with my grandmother. Finally, around the holidays in 2016 my grandmother had enough. She told me to leave her home. My worst years were 2016 & 2017. I was homeless for most of the 2017 year. My father, mother, and brother had enough of me so going home was not an option.

Low self-esteem. Low self-confidence. Nervous breakdown. Suicide. How do I stop this life?

I made the decision to do whatever I could to stay alive. In October 2017 I entered Adcare for substance abuse treatment. I remained at Adcare for 30 days. My journey of recovery began on October 15, 2017.

I signed in to the Rogers Home for Sober Living program on the day I left Adcare. I knew if I returned to my old ways my life would spiral into another disaster.

Rogers Home gave me a safe place to rest and to learn. I knew that I had to learn how not to drink to have any opportunity at all for a good life.

The program of Rogers Home gave me a daily routine. I am held accountable. My living environment is much better than being homeless and the people in the house shared my goal of getting well. There is structure and we focus each week on small goals.

My one year anniversary of sobriety is coming soon. My self-esteem and my self-confidence are improving. I go to work for 40 hours each week for a major national business and I am saving money again.

I still want to study Psychology and perhaps one day be able to help other suffering addicts. My hobby is writing and I am now looking to take part in writing clubs.

I am forever grateful for the leadership of Rogers Home for taking me under their wing and encouraging me every single day toward recovery. I still have much work to do. Today I have the confidence and experience to know that my life can and will get better.