AMY

Calm and composed today, Amy talks matter-of-factly about a very different day three years ago when she first came to House of Hope. Her life was broken. Unfortunately, her story of dual addiction is not an unusual one. She was hooked on drugs and alcohol with no sense of direction and nowhere to turn.

An only child, Amy grew up in a middle-class family in the Midwest. She had a typical, normal childhood. Neither of her parents were alcoholics. It wasn’t until college that she first began using alcohol and pot. She loved the feeling this gave her and started using more and more, eventually graduating to heroin.

Hiding her drug use from her unsuspecting parents, she “normalized” it, never seeing it as anything unusual or wrong. When she finally told them, her surprised parents sent her to an outpatient clinic, but Amy kept using. She was now out of school, living in someone’s garage, and using meth – all of which she saw once again as normal behavior. But she was beginning to feel lost and decided to move to California to find herself.

As her drug and alcohol use increased, the friend she was living with finally kicked her out. She had nowhere else to go and inside she felt dead. Amy finally called her mother with whom she had always maintained a good relationship. Her mom found House of Hope through an internet search and suggested she go there, and Amy agreed.

When Amy came to the House in February 2016 she had no idea what to expect, but she sensed something magical when she walked through the gates. She stayed in Residential for three months, absorbing the structure and discipline of the program. She listened to staff direction, even though she initially thought it wasn’t really necessary. She felt safe with the counselors, learning to trust them. Her favorite part was the group sessions, especially the “comfort group” started by Grandma Helen.

Amy next moved into Recovery Bridge Housing, staying there for an additional three months. She found the classes reinforced what she had learned in Residential treatment, making her even more accountable. She was glad to have the time to absorb the tools she had acquired. After RBH, Amy moved into Sober Living, paying rent, taking on additional responsibilities, and becoming increasingly independent.

Today in Independent Living Amy is working full-time, is back in college and excited to live. She is no longer dead inside. Although her career goals are not clear at this point, she is confident she will find them, thanks to the tools she has learned. Her relationship with her mother is the best it has ever been. When she looks around at the palm trees and mountains, she says to herself, “How did I get here?” and she knows it was her Higher Power that led her to House of Hope.