DONATIONS and SUPPORT

I was taking a bath, the water going cold while I hugged myself at the knees crying silently when the thought of wanting it to all end entered my mind. “My life,” I thought? No, my addiction! I wanted it to stop. For things to get better. I wanted my life back. I wanted my kids back. It was then I began to pray.

The next day I struggled over what I wanted and what I was used to. I faced my fears head-on. I knew once I told DHS I needed rehab there was no turning back. I was no longer afraid of the turmoil in my head over quitting. I was afraid I’d lose my kids to the system. Lose myself to the game. That afternoon I called every rehab I could find in my area.

When I walked through the doors at Serenity I was broken, but I was willing. Willing to put in the work. Willing to fight my demons. Willing to put my sobriety & mental health 1st. Willing to do whatever it took to have a better life. Staff helped me set goals, gave me tools, helped prepare me for the “real world,” helped set me up for sober living(where I can have my kids) & encouraged me to do me. Cause at the end of the day, it’s my choices that will keep me on the path I choose to be on. I was given the tools I needed I just had to put them to use. I left there with hope. With goals for my future. With a newfound strength.

Today I am sober. Not because I have to be but because I want to be. Thanks to Serenity and all the amazing people there my life has meaning again. This was the best (and hardest) decision I’ve ever made.

 

- Jessica,

Before entering into the Serenity program I was chained by my addiction homeless on the streets by myself. I was given the gift of desperation as I spent my days alone and scared waiting for every day to just end.  Recovery Court intervened and removed me from the hell on earth I was experiencing they gave me the opportunity I had been praying for, they gave me inpatient treatment at the Serenity program.

My experience at Serenity was life-changing, I was escorted to my room after being given some clean clothes and new shoes where I sat on a clean bed already made up for me, and I cried. I took a deep breath because I could finally breathe and wept over the overwhelming feeling of safety I felt being there. The staff was so personable and shared testimony of their own which filled me up with hope for a real chance to achieve and maintain sobriety for myself.

The daily groups were like medicine to me, as I learned new tools for the first time and processed through a lot of hurt, I could actually feel parts of my heart starting to heal. I am truly grateful for the foundation of independence and self-worth I found at Serenity to stand on to begin to build my life sober and in recovery.

After completing the program Serenity helped me find a safe place to transition to at Hazelbrook Sober Living where four years later I am now a certified peer support specialist as well as a Hazelbrook Sober Living Director. I often share my story with residents and the still struggling addict about where my recovery started and that was at Serenity. Thank you, Serenity for making all the difference in my life at a time when I needed it and it mattered the most!

- Ayla,

I had burned many bridges… and I was alone. They show you what an adult looks like in our society and teach you skills so that you can live the way adults do… You can have people back in your life when you get your life back together… I’ve learned how to tolerate the world that isn’t so nice all of the time.

- Sharol W,