I attended several treatment facilities from the age of 16 to 22. Each time I admitted into another program I truly was desperate for help. The pain and suffering I experienced when dependent on drugs and alcohol left me out of options.
A few weeks into treatment, I had gotten the substances out of my system and was beginning to feel much better. This allowed me to believe that I had overcome the pain and suffering that I had spent my entire addiction diligently trying to escape. This created a delusion within me: that I would never let myself endure that type of misery ever again; that I had learned my lesson. So, I would leave treatment eager to take on the world, whole-heartedly believing that I was going to remain sober. Each time, without fail and within a week, I was under the influence yet again.
This last go-around, I entered into a 90-day treatment facility. The idea of failing at this again was very real and extremely frightening based on my previous experiences. I gained much knowledge and acquired many tools to get me started but had no clue how to apply them in the real world. My counselors began recommending I enter a transitional program once I completed my in-patient stay. Upon entering aftercare, I realized this opportunity to apply the learned skills and learn to how to truly live in recovery was the missing component of my failed previous attempts at sobriety.
At Alpha 180, our residents are given an opportunity to take what they learned in treatment and put it into practical application in a safe and observed environment. I get the opportunity to pass on my own hard-won experience to our residents, helping them on their journey to long-term recovery and happiness. They will experience getting and maintaining a job, forming life long friendships with other residents and staff, making mistakes, learning from them, having fun without needing drugs and alcohol, repairing damaged relationships, pursuing their academic dreams, and feeling content with who they are as a person. These are the type of skills that aftercare had to offer me, and these are exactly the type of things we try to impress onto our community members.
We take pride in the power of recovery at Alpha 180. We want to pass on the freedom and internal happiness that was given to us. Over the years, I have worked at and attended several treatment centers in various parts of the country. Each one having their individual strengths and weaknesses. The magic I get to witness here at at Alpha is like no other. The residents that call Alpha 180 home share an authenticity, passion, and friendship that inspires me every day I come to work.
Brian Walker, Residential Supervisor
