Abraham’s Story
“I was referred here through the courts after completing rehab. I really had nothing left of the life I previously had except my car and a couple of backpacks. I managed to get into a sober living after my release and started the process of getting my life back. Which sounds simple enough; however, there are so many aspects of life that you don’t consider when you are in active addiction. I tended to stick with what was familiar, like the same kind of dead-end jobs that paid the bills, but not much else. I relied on cash instead of building credit, and relationships that were frivolous and circumstantial rather than meaningful and healthy.
While going through the program, the resources available here made it possible for me to reintroduce myself to ‘normal life.’ Thanks to Miss Dee and Anthony, I started eating regularly and well, which I rarely did before. Thanks to Ashley, Jax, and Neisha in the care office, I made it to class, had a place to do laundry, and got a suit that doesn’t make me look like a used car salesman. Miss Kayla helped me find a job that works around my school schedule. Also, thanks to Angela and Roger, I learned that it’s ok to aspire to greater things than living in a ‘good enough’ mindset.
Through the program, I learned one of the most important things in life: self-worth. As my facilitator, Angela said, ‘You deserve to live with dignity and not in survival mode all the time.’ Things that were daunting before, like going back to school as an adult, rejoining the workforce, and pursuing a profession that seemed alien to me, became feasible. The workweek and financial aspects of the course were especially helpful in mapping out short- and long-term employment and financial goals I would not have considered before. The insight from the relationship section helped me to consider the relationships in my life and gain a different perspective on them.
In closing, I feel that if I had not found this place, disaster would have struck. It takes time, effort, and courage to change your entire way of being after living like a refugee your whole life. The structure of the program, the classes and resources, were instrumental in my success after leaving the safety bubble of rehab and actually having more than a shot in the dark in my recovery. To quote President Barack Obama: ‘Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.’”
Abraham
Life Learning Center Graduate Speaker