Success Stories Archives | Gateway Foundation

Voice of Recovery: Lucy

Gateway Foundation — Thu, 23 May 2019 22:02:30 +0000

Lucy has been in recovery since 2011, but even after treatment, life hasn’t always been easy.

When Lucy left Gateway Aurora, she returned to four children who had also struggled with her addiction. Some of them wanted nothing to do with her. And she had to rebuild trust with the ones who did.

Drugs and relationships had gone hand and hand for Lucy ever since her first drink with her sister at 14 years old. Within three years after that first drink, she had moved out of her parents’ house and fallen into a spiral of toxic relationships with older, abusive men. When she met her second husband she also experienced her first hit of crack cocaine.

“I lost my life,” she says.

Soon she was spending $800 a day on drugs. She lost custody of two of her children, then the house, then the job. She landed in prison, then drug court and, finally, Gateway.

Lucy started repairing her relationships, beginning with herself. In therapy, she learned how to break down the way she thinks. She learned gratitude and self-worth, which she had been substituting with alcohol and drugs.

After treatment she secured a job driving an ice cream truck, a big change after a successful career in accounting. Then she found an entry-level job at McDonald’s. The same insecurities and self-doubt that had worked against her during active addiction were still working then.

It was tough, but this time, she had the relationships and tools to overcome them. She says, “It took my daughter saying, Who cares that you have to wear the hat, who cares what job you have, if you’re providing for your family?”

It also took revisiting the lessons she had learned from her Gateway counselors.

“They taught me how to live,” she says, “They taught me how to be okay with me.”

“They taught me how to live. They taught me how to be okay with me.”

Today, Lucy volunteers her time every week with the Gateway alumni community and other meetings, sharing her story whenever she can.

“Sobriety is anonymity for a lot of people, but for me, I hold my head proud,” she says. “You matter. Gateway made sure I knew I mattered.”

She worked her way up from a crewperson to general manager at a McDonald’s and uses her position to give back to others in recovery whenever she can, because she knows what is possible when someone gives you a chance.

To get involved you can connect with, learn more or donate to our alumni program. For help with drug or alcohol addiction, contact us today at 877.381.6538.

Gateway Foundation

Gateway Foundation is a recognized leader in evidence-based addiction treatment proven to get results. Our experts in Addiction Medicine—including highly educated clinical and medical professionals and expert psychiatrists and nurses—deliver care that never stops. For over 50 years, Gateway Foundation has been helping individuals and their families recover from addictions and behavioral health issues and is the only provider that covers the entire state of Illinois with 16 facilities from the Wisconsin Border to the Kentucky Border. Gateway has specific programs focusing on substance use disorders, trauma, depression, anxiety, and other co-occurring issues. We’re licensed by the state of Illinois and accredited by the Joint Commission. We are in-network with all the major commercial insurance plans. Gateway Foundation: Addiction medicine, saving lives.

The post Voice of Recovery: Lucy appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery–Debbie

Gateway Foundation — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 11:00:36 +0000

Debbie became a teacher because she wanted to help other people, especially kids. On a typical weekday, she would drop her son off at the high school then go to her own classroom of fourth-graders, where there’s no typical other than the subjects.

Well respected by their small town and church, Debbie’s son had his sights set on Yale University with a GPA to match. He knew his mother, a teacher, and father, a carpenter, couldn’t afford to send him to the Ivy League without scholarships. One day, dream in mind, he borrowed a friend’s ADHD medication to stay focused on a test.

“That was the beginning of the end,” Debbie says.

First the Search for Drugs

At first, the signs were subtle: new friends, later returns home, excuses. Her husband suspected drugs, but when they turned the house upside down searching for evidence of marijuana, they never found a trace of any drugs.

About a month later, their son told them he was using pills, what Debbie calls the “battle you don’t see.” They tried to talk to him, ground him, whatever they could do to prevent him from using – but his addiction had grabbed hold.

Debbie quickly lost the typical she once had with her family. “For a long time, when my phone would ring, I would literally want to throw up,” she remembers. “I never knew what was going to be on the other end of the line—what kind of tragedy I was going to have.”

Gateway Adolescent Program – Now 100% Online

Then she received the phone call that would change the course of their lives. Her son was arrested for bringing drugs to school and sent to court, where he was recommended to Gateway’s Carbondale adolescent program, which now operates as a fully virtual program.

In the days leading up to the start of his Residential Treatment program, Debbie’s son sat in their living room and told her, “Mom, I just wanted you to quit loving me.”

“I’m never gonna quit loving you,” she told him. “I don’t love what you’re doing, I hate the drugs, but I love you.”

When her son began treatment, she found help. While her son began his recovery journey, so did she.

Her son’s Gateway counselor told her about Nar-Anon, a 12-step support program for families and loved ones affected by someone’s addiction. The catch: The closest meeting was 85 miles away. Debbie decided to seek help for herself – and, once again, to help others. She founded a local Nar-Anon group.

Nar-Anon Great Support for Families

“I don’t know what to tell people other than to seek help, seek help for themselves,” she says. “I know when people come to Nar-Anon, they want us to tell them how to change the addict, and the truth is we can’t. But we can change some of our things and we can support them and we can love them but not love the disease.”

Today, Debbie and her family have a new typical. Her son is living at home and in college. Nearly every night is a meeting. Her relationship with her son has improved and is only getting better.

“I know it gets frustrating sometimes,” Debbie says, “but the family and a good support system are so vital to their getting better. Don’t give up.”

This holiday season, know that we are here for you, no matter the time or day – make the call for your family now: 877.505.4673. Learn more about Gateway’s Carbondale location here.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery–Debbie appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery: Miriam

Gateway Foundation — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 19:28:47 +0000

Her whole life, Miriam had been afraid – of appearing weak, of admitting she had a problem, “of everything.” Her fear led her to the power of escape through art and reading. Then suddenly, the fear grabbed hold of her life, pushing her away from the characters of Anne Rice, Stephen King and John Irving, from her family, to alcohol and, for a period of time, the streets.

Married with children and pursuing a paralegal career, Miriam never kept any alcohol in the house because she just wasn’t “that kind of drinker.” In her spare time, she read, painted and volunteered. But Miriam started suffering from undiagnosed anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, which produced audio and visual hallucinations.

“I started drinking to quiet the voices,” she says, “to quiet my mind.”

It worked, at first. When she later sought professional help, she was prescribed antipsychotics. She maintained a period of sobriety until the symptoms worsened and she turned back to alcohol. Her self-medication progressed to making a drink “before (she) got out of (her) coat,” to drinking at work, to waking up in the morning and needing a drink to stop the alcohol withdrawal symptoms – “the shakes” and nausea. Sometimes she slept on the streets rather than return home.

“At least I knew I would have my alcohol and no one would take it away from me,” she remembers.

In the spiral of her alcohol abuse, her fear of asking for help won. One day, albeit still afraid, Miriam fought back. She searched online for alcohol treatment near her and she called Gateway. Gateway Chicago Independence team helped make arrangements for someone to pick her up and treat her in their dual diagnosis program for her co-occurring disorders.

At Chicago Independence, Miriam once again found peace in art through the music therapy program. Patients choose songs and talk about what they mean to them. The one closest to Miriam was “Don’t Give Up On Me” by Solomon Burke, a story of failing to meet the expectations of loved ones. For Miriam, it was a song about her husband.

“I didn’t want my husband to give up on me,” she says. “We’ve been together for 25 years and, through my addiction and my mental health issues, I put him through a lot. And he stuck by me. A lot of my family members walked away, because it’s easier to walk away. When I came into recovery, it was like waking up in an empty room – and the only person that was there was my husband.”

After Residential Treatment, Miriam continues to be supported by friends she met at Gateway. She graduated with her post-baccalaureate paralegal certificate. She continues to check out too many books from the library and volunteer with The Night Ministry, serving people who are in poverty and homeless. Life isn’t perfect: She is struggling to rebuild the family relationships frayed by her addiction every day. Her view on life, however, has forever shifted:

“I always have in the back of my mind, That could be me. It was me, and it could be me again. I take into volunteering at The Night Ministry this empathy because I know what it’s like to have people dismiss you because you’re just a drunk or dismiss you because you have mental illness. And I never feel dismissive of the patients that I deal with at Night Ministry because our stories, in a lot of ways, are all the same. The battle with addiction, the battle with mental illness. What it takes away from you, the way it strips your dignity away. To see a person at a low point like that, I always have this hope now. If things can be better for me, then things can be better for them.”

For help with drug or alcohol addiction, contact Gateway today.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery: Miriam appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery: Nicks Success Story

Gateway Foundation — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 18:23:40 +0000

Nicks Success Story: Breaking the Cycle

Addiction was nothing new to Nick. His father drank routinely, and after watching his family fall apart, Nick told himself he would never drink or do drugs. Yet, as the stress of school, friends and the pressure to fit in grew stronger, he fell victim to the disease of addiction. Beginning in the ninth grade, he connected with a new crowd that introduced him to drugs such as Xanax and Vicodin. At 17, Nick’s habit had already spun out of control.

As the days passed, Nick found himself living in his car or in jail. He overdosed eight or nine times.

“It’s a blessing I’m still here today,” he says.

When Nick almost found himself in prison with nowhere to turn to, he decided it was time to finally get help.

“I know I am a decent person, and I shouldn’t be putting myself through this anymore,” he remembers thinking.

How Nick Found Change at Gateway

With a new will to change, listen and become vulnerable, Nick checked into Gateway. After trying multiple rehab facilities, it was the Young Men’s Bridge Program at Gateway Lake Villa that finally clicked. This time, he had the opportunity to connect with other young people on a deeper level, fostering friendships and listening to other stories of struggle and triumph. He realized that he was not alone.

After treatment, Nick is back in school and giving back. He works in tandem with Marty Cook, director of alumni events at Gateway, to coordinate recovery events such as CrossFit, community talks, yoga, and kickball. He has become a role model for other young people struggling with addiction or recovery, to help them also realize they are not alone.

Use Nicks Success Story to Inspire Change

While Nicks success story is unique to him, Gateway can help write one for you or someone you love. Call us today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery: Nicks Success Story appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery: Cheryl

Gateway Foundation — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 15:13:01 +0000

Outrunning Addiction

A 30 pack of beer and a bottle of Bacardi every day was Cheryl’s norm for 22 years. After experiencing emotional and physical pain at a young age, Cheryl found solace in alcohol, which helped her escape her family reality and fit in with those around her. Cheryl’s alcohol addiction had already taken hold by age 17.

Cheryl went on to receive 19 DUIs and eventually was sent to jail. Yet the binges continued. She was in and out of the system for years, moving to nine different states, until she spent 30 days in jail. It was during this time that she learned about Gateway and finally admitted she could no longer outrun herself.

She was ready to stop the cycle. Cheryl describes it as a moment of self-actualization: “I needed to change, I needed to do something, I wanted to get sober.”

How Gateway Helped

Finally accepting the power her addiction had over her, Cheryl admitted herself to Gateway Aurora. With help from the staff who challenged and motivated her, Cheryl realized that sobriety would be possible and that she could live a healthy and fulfilled life despite all that she had gone through.

While at Gateway, Cheryl’s days consisted of evidence-based substance abuse treatment, meditation, group discussions and a bit of homework for self-improvement. Each of these activities not only taught her to speak about herself but to also learn about others. Gateway staff, who were willing to speak with her at any hour of the day, helped her develop new habits that replaced the one’s she had developed in the outside world. But when she reached a point in treatment where it was time to transition from full-day treatment to half-day, panic set in. Unsure of how she would react to a less structured environment, Cheryl began to apply the skills she had learned at Gateway. As she began attending meetings and speaking with family it became clear that she was ready for life outside of Gateway.

Cheryl has come a long way since receiving treatment at Gateway. A grandmother with a beautiful family, an amazing support system and a new view of life, Cheryl has shared her story with others and has been involved with the Gateway Recovery Community for years.

Today, Cheryl knows there is nothing in her path that she cannot handle.

Reach Out to Gateway Today

Don’t wait until it’s too late to get addiction help. Reach out to an admissions counselor at Gateway today by calling 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery: Cheryl appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Life After Treatment Now What?

Gateway Foundation — Thu, 28 Jun 2018 17:34:10 +0000

During life after treatment, people will either enter a Recovery Home or return back to their old lives. Unfortunately, this sometimes exposes them to old habits and influences, which can be difficult to resist and increase susceptibility to relapse. Fortunately, there is ample advice and recovery support for this time in someone’s journey.

Join support groups

Whether it’s Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous or any other group, it is important to surround yourself with people who understand your experience and who are available in times of doubt or crisis. Gateway’s 12–Step Facilitation can help connect people to groups near them before they even leave treatment.

Become engaged with the Recovery Community

Addiction is isolation; recovery is community. Getting involved with the Recovery Community connects people in recovery with others who are dealing with life after treatment. Gateway’s Recovery Community events are opportunities for all alumni as well as anyone in recovery to make friends and celebrate their success.

Establish routines

Make a schedule and stick to it, for your nutrition, your work and your personal time. This will ease the transition back into life outside of treatment.

Set boundaries and limits

It is important to let people in your life know that you are making this change and that you are fully committed to it.

Use your resources

All Gateway patients are eligible for free lifetime access to myStrength, a digital resource and app to help individuals set goals and stay motivated with their mental health and recovery once they complete treatment. Your Gateway team will also help you set up or refer you to continuing therapy and care for your wellness beyond treatment.

Volunteer

Pay it forward by dedicating your time to organizations you care about. You can also volunteer at Gateway’s events or groups. Feeling good about yourself and your contributions to your community will make it easier to say no to negative influences and yes to the life you want to live.

Stay in touch

Gateway’s connection continues after patients leave as alumni. Individual Gateway locations host alumni meetings and events and Recovery Community events are open to anyone in recovery. Sign up for our text and email alerts, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and inspiration.

Share your story

Listening to people share their stories of recovery can empower others to ask for help and change their lives. It reminds others they are not alone. Sharing your story is also a way to reflect on your progress and the struggles you’ve overcome. Contact us to share your story today.

With Gateway, treatment ends, but recovery is for life. If you still have questions or concerns about life after treatment, contact us today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Life After Treatment Now What? appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Jaime’s Alumni Success Story

Gateway Foundation — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 18:15:19 +0000

Suburban Survivor of the Opioid Epidemic Speaks Out in Alumni Success Story

There is a thief hiding in the shadows of today’s suburban lifestyles. It’s called addiction, and it is stealing the identities, families, careers, and lives of people who might otherwise appear to “have it all together.” This is my alumni success story.

You’ve heard the national clamor about opioid addiction. I lived its horrors, although my alumni success story didn’t start in the proverbial dark alley that is often associated with substance use. It began in my upscale suburban home in Champaign, IL and nearly ended one dark day as I lay lifeless on the floor following an overdose.

Fortunately, I’m on the upside of my addiction journey thanks to a supportive family and the right professional help. But that’s not the case for so many of those stigmatized by shame and guilt, and unwilling to step out of the shadows and own their story. That’s why I have become resolute in my mission to offer transparency and hope as a recovery advocate. In truth, I receive several hundred messages daily from substance users wanting to break the cycle of addiction, and most are living the same suburban drug dependence nightmare.

My addiction didn’t happen overnight; it started with a few “innocent pills.” From the outside, there was no reason to think something like this could happen to me or my family. We were the all-American picture—four beautiful children, an upper-class lifestyle and desirable careers.

Yet, no life is devoid of pain, and a family tragedy coupled with a move to a small town changed our family dynamics. As life stressors mounted, the undercurrents of existing—but untreated—anxiety and depression began to surface in my life. Neighbors noticed the change and tried to “help” by introducing me to such prescription drugs as Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Percocet, and Oxycontin, which I took in combination with my own Zoloft prescription. We formed a gang of suburban pill-popping moms, maintaining a secret lifestyle for about two years, until my dependence spiraled out of control. Pretty soon, I moved on to heroin and cocaine, quit my job, left my family and became consumed with how I would get my next high.

Although I hit rock bottom, there was still hope. An introduction to Gateway Springfield and the support of a loving family kept me from becoming another statistic. Professional counselors – several with whom I’m still in contact today – taught me about my disease, helped me put it in remission and live in recovery.

Powerful group therapy sessions underscored the reality that I was not alone. Equally important, Gateway brought my husband and children into the broader care plan, equipping them with the resources and tools they needed to support me and claim their own victory through this struggle.

There is life after addiction. I want others to know that truth. It’s what motivates me to share my alumni success story over and over again. The first step is acknowledging you need help; the next step is getting the right help.

About Gateway

With several drug and alcohol rehab center locations in Illinois, Gateway has vast resources to help individuals overcome addiction. For more information about our substance abuse treatment programs, call Gateway today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Jaime’s Alumni Success Story appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery: Mikes Success Story

Gateway Foundation — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 18:23:40 +0000

Mikes Success Story: Starting from the Bottom Shelf

Drinking began for Mike when he was working at a liquor store at age 13. His friend’s father owned a store, and Mike was responsible for stocking the shelves and checking inventory. It was easy to steal a bottle here and there because he was the one in charge. As the years passed, Mike began experimenting with inhalants; as the highs became less intense, he moved on to different substances with greater risks. One such drug was Belladonna, a substance used for treating asthma. Its serious side effects caused him to overdose, and Mike awoke three days later in a mental institution. But his using didn’t stop there.

Mike continued down this path, using LSD and speed to reach the high he had been seeking. Still able to graduate from high school and hold down a job as a taxi driver, Mike became a “garbage can,” using intravenous drugs and whatever else he could find that didn’t leave him with a hangover.

Things only got worse. At 24, Mike was left to die in a basement after overdosing with his dealer. At that time, Mike’s father had had a stroke and was in a coma. His wife at the time told him that this was the breaking point; their marriage was over.

How Mike Got Help

Realizing he needed help and knowing his brother had been receiving addiction treatment at Gateway, he decided it was time. Mike was in a residential addiction treatment center for a short period of time, but after his release, he was involved in an armed robbery and attempted murder. Unfortunately, his addiction and search for the next high continued. After spending six weeks in county jail, Mike came into contact with a corrections officer who referred him to Gateway again. Mike entered treatment at Gateway Lake Villa. After 13 months, Mike became a model patient. Protected from the outside world and working with dedicated staff, it became evident to Mike that recovery was possible. After completing the Lake Villa program, Mike moved to Gateway’s recovery home in Chicago.

After four decades in recovery, Mike has stayed in contact with those he met at Gateway and feels they have positively influenced his recovery.

“They have the ability to rid you of the image you had of yourself,” he says, “and teach you that you can live life without drugs, no matter where you come from.”

Use Mikes Success Story as Inspiration to Get Addiction Help

No matter how bleak things appear now, Mikes success story proves that addiction recovery is possible. Call Gateway today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery: Mikes Success Story appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Voice of Recovery: Mariusz

Gateway Foundation — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 18:23:40 +0000

Regaining Control: A Young Mens Success Story

Feelings of isolation, fear, lack of control and failure were all too familiar for Mariusz. When attempts at creating an idealistic world to escape his reality fell short, Mariusz found comfort in alcohol and drugs at age 15. Like many young men, Mariusz began drinking on the weekends with a new group of friends, providing the sense of camaraderie he had been searching for while masking his insecurities. As his family relationships and life continued to fall short, Mariusz’s drinking became more routine, and new people and substances introduced themselves into Mariusz’s life.

He was attracted to the culture and the people who smoked marijuana, but what started as a leisurely activity soon got out of hand. Mariusz began buying in bulk and selling marijuana. He started trying new drugs, going to festivals, getting involved with women and, suddenly, the law.

Full Flight from Reality

Mariusz received a phone call from his probation officer asking him to come in for a random drug test. He always knew this would happen, but “was in full flight from reality.” He wanted to leave the country, believing it was his only way out, until the officer told him that he should look into Gateway. Although unsure why, Mariusz finally “surrendered to the fact that (he) could no longer run.”

“I was done living in fear,” he says. “I finally accepted my addiction.”

Mariusz entered into treatment at Gateway Lake Villa. As Mariusz sat and listened to other patients, he realized he could no longer deny their similarities. Mariusz finally let down his walls and accepted help from the counselors at Gateway.

By way of the group counseling, activities and a safe, compassionate environment at Gateway, Mariusz was able to express every insecurity and aggression he harbored towards himself and others. Once he accepted his flaws, he felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Not one person at the Lake Villa treatment center laughed at him; rather, they embraced him and made him feel that he wasn’t alone.

Mariusz spent 30 days at Lake Villa. After time at their residential addiction treatment center, he spent a year and four months at a recovery home where he continued to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings with a group of people he could finally, and proudly, call his friends. Mariusz had moments of doubt, but with his support system, he was able to continue on his path to recovery.

A Young Mens Success Story Comes Full Circle

Mariusz moved back to Des Plaines where it all began, but this time, he was able to cope with the insecurities that once fueled his destructive behaviors. Now a straight-A student with a full-time job and a committee member of the Illinois State Conference of Young People in AA, Mariusz is proud of the person he has become.

“It was a bumpy road,” he says, “but there is a chance if you put in the work.”

About Gateway

With drug and alcohol rehab center locations throughout Illinois, Gateway has numerous mens young adult rehab programs. Like Mariusz, you or someone you love can experience a young mens success story, too. Call us today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Voice of Recovery: Mariusz appeared first on Gateway Foundation.

Craig’s Alcohol Success Story

Gateway Foundation — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 18:23:40 +0000

Craig’s Alcohol Success Story

The trouble didn’t come all at once. Craig had a family he loved and a job he cared about. From the outside, life seemed pretty good. But too often, it didn’t feel that way to Craig. In his mind, he was stagnant. This is Craig’s alcohol success story.

“My life felt really small,” he says.

He drank, and although he considered his drinking recreational, he would occasionally embarrass himself or upset others while intoxicated. Expecting a change to shake him from his doldrums, Craig accepted a company transfer and moved his family to another state. “It didn’t solve anything,” he says.

When His Life Became Unmanageable

Craig’s drinking escalated over time. After a few family run-ins, he swore off alcohol for a while and even looked up an old friend in the area who agreed to go with him to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. When the situation only worsened, Craig’s solution was to get out of town and move back to the Midwest. But he only continued to struggle.

“Between work and home, it was like a ‘What else is there?’ kind of thing,” Craig says. “I was extremely depressed, drinking at work during the day. Things were not good.”

After years of unease about his alcohol abuse and guilt over escalating consequences, Craig rose one morning and admitted to himself the depth of his struggles.

“I woke up, and I can’t explain why,” he says, “but the need to ask for help came up.”

With the assistance of his therapist, Craig began exploring his addiction treatment program options. After connecting with a supportive call center counselor, he chose Gateway. Then, one day before his scheduled check-in date, he was let go from his job. The blow barely registered.

“I was devastated, but I was so miserable there.” Craig says. “I went to Gateway, finally, with the gift of desperation. I went to Gateway with the firm belief that I knew nothing of how to fix whatever was wrong.”

How Gateway Contributed to Craig’s Alcohol Success Story

Craig finally found the support he needed at Gateway. In addition to group therapy and other addiction therapy services that gave him the tools to begin coping with triggers that led him to drink, he participated in art therapy class and meditation practices that, he admits, didn’t initially click. But Gateway’s personalized treatment approach gave him the freedom to choose therapies and strategies that did work and enabled him to take ownership of the recovery process.

“It was a great reset button,” he says. “Along with realizing that nothing I had tried before got any results, I just did my best to follow every suggestion. If you show just an inkling that you realize you’re not there by mistake – mandated or not – the attention and help you get is unreal. The counselors will do anything for you.”

Craig began to open up during his stay at Gateway, where he developed a friendship with a fellow patient who had been through treatment in the past. When the friend took Craig to a meeting with his home group, he was floored by what he saw: three hundred recovering users, each with individual stories that now began to resonate with Craig. It became his home group too.

“I was isolated, drunk and hiding,” Craig says. “I didn’t have any friends; now I have a phone full of them.”

Checking in on Craig’s Alcohol Success Story

Today, Craig’s life is still imperfect. He split with his wife and has been struggling to re-enter his old line of work. But at Gateway, he discovered coping mechanisms that allow him to counter the inevitable stressors that life brings. His relationship with his ex-wife is warm again and, he says, they are a better team as parents living apart. His relationship with his daughters, which he calls “the best thing in (his) life,” has flourished.

“The adventures I have with them are amazing,” Craig says.

Since the day he checked into Gateway, Craig has remained sober. Inspired to reach others by telling his own story, he has helped re-launch a residential alumni program. Craig now helps carry the message of hope and renewal to current Gateway residents, confident that others can experience the “awakening” that guided him to his new life.

“I certainly have bad days,” he says, “but nothing like the hell I was in.”

Returning from such a dark place, Craig knows now, is a road that never ends. That’s the advice he wants to pass on to others in recovery. He credits Gateway with helping him learn the value of constant growth and self-discovery.

“It’s a good thing if you think you’re never going to reach the end,” Craig says. “It’s the journey, not the destination. You can’t check it off. Renewal is constant – otherwise, it isn’t going to stick.”

Get Help Today

If you’re struggling with alcohol addiction, it’s not too late to begin your own alcohol success story. Contact Gateway today at 877.505.4673.

Gateway Foundation

The post Craig’s Alcohol Success Story appeared first on Gateway Foundation.