Andrea did not start using drugs until her twenties. She married and had children but she lost these to drugs and alcohol. Andrea has lived in her car for over a year but maintained an Executive Assistant job in Silicon Valley. Now Andrea has eleven days clean, will she be able to stay that way?

Luke had very little structure in his early teens. Smoking weed occasionally at eleven years old led to smoking pot heavily at thirteen. Luke is a big, strong, young man who was a stud on the football field. A broken arm introduced him to pain pills, which lead to heroin and then crack. He could not get off the drug train and would openly smoke crack on the Bart train system in San Francisco. A month in rehab would give his body a break but he was soon back onto the cycle of weed, pills, heroin, and crack. Luke’s fifth visit to rehab seemed different. This time he feels more serious about getting clean and staying sober. He wants the American Dream of owning his own home, having a wife and family, and being happy. Drugs will not get him there, but will he do the work that is needed? He is 28 days clean today and is thinking and taking "one day at a time".

Katie was an athletic teenager, winning a national championship for springboard diving. A back injury led to too much idle time and Katie used that time to party, smoke weeds and drink beer. A car accident at age 21 added more idle time and heavier use of drugs and alcohol but then Katie met her husband and the two of them got sober, got married, bought a house and had the first of their two boys. Katie started drinking "socially" but soon her behavior was very anti-social, attacking her husband and scaring her kids. A flesh-eating bacteria and the loss of health of Katie's mother caused Katie and her husband to look for a solution with Crystal Methamphetamine. In Katie's words; "The shit hit the fan". They lost their house and their kids. They lived in their car for eighteen months before Katie was arrested for stealing and sent to jail. Now Katie is fourteen months sober, her husband is fifteen months sober and they are getting their lives back.

Sterling is a 34-year old male from Santa Cruz, California. He talks honestly about this addiction to heroin (and use of other drugs) that lasted for nine years. He came as close to losing a wife and two children that he loves. His honesty is inspiring.

Heather had ambitions of becoming a doctor. However, too much alcohol caused her to redirect her goals towards becoming a paramedic. After several years as a paramedic, Heather became a firefighter where she handled many horrific calls. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder crept up on Heather. With the Fire Departments being generally a heavy drinking “boys club,” Heather soon after joined into the drinking and then added cocaine by her own choice. Friends encouraged her to get into recovery. Now, Heather has been two months clean and sober.

Whitney is a very attractive, slim, blonde, blue-eyed, white woman; not the typical look associated with severe drug addiction. Whitney had her wisdom teeth removed as a teenager and received Vicodin for the pain. This was her first abuse of opiate drugs and it led her to heroin and meth. For most of the past five years, Whitney has been homeless, living on the streets of Santa Cruz, California. Her addiction caused her to lose several jobs and to steal from homes and stores, where the hardware store became her specialty. Her boyfriend went behind bars for these crimes and got cleaned in jail. When Whitney saw the improvements in his health, she was inspired to get cleaned. Whitney detoxed alone and now lives in the Gault House sober living environment in Santa Cruz, California.

Mike's parents divorced when he was eight years old. Their domestic violence affected him. He was drinking hard at twelve years old and looking for a group of people where he could fit in. He found Skateboarders and Punk Rockers were his people. Heavy alcohol use was his thing. Rehabs, jail, lost jobs did not help Mike. Now Mike is four months sober. Will his sobriety last?

Hayley was adopted as a baby to loving and caring parents. She did not party in high school; her early adulthood started well. At the age of 23, Hayley was awarded a court settlement after a car accident, and with the money she bought a home. This allowed her to live alone and to hide the volume and frequency of her drinking. Even her boyfriend didn't know she was doing cocaine so she could drink more alcohol. Hayley's downward spiral had started. She knew it was happening but she didn't want to stop drinking and doing cocaine because she enjoyed doing it. Hayley's life was falling apart and she started to look for help. There were several attempts at getting clean, including some where she convinced herself that if she stopped drinking she could continue to smoke marijuana and snort cocaine. For the first time in years, Hayley is 40 days clean, but will her effort to stay clean and sober work out well this time?

Mike started using alcohol at age fifteen and progressed quickly to ecstasy, cocaine, norco, roxy and heroin. Mike was expelled from high school two months before graduation for selling marijuana cookies at school. After this, Mike sold loads of drugs to fund his own drug habit. He got into debt selling drugs and he felt sick every morning. This caused him to consider recovery. Now he is three months clean. He seems solid in his recovery but he could relapse at any time, just like any other addict.

Michelle is a single woman aged 29. Her parents did not provide a good environment for her and her siblings growing up. At age eleven, Michelle's uncle sexually molested her and used guilt to keep her quiet. Michelle was in denial that she had a problem with alcohol for a long time, until she had literally spent all her money on alcohol and had no source of income to buy more alcohol. Her honesty in discussing her journey is exceptional. Michelle has a positive attitude that shows the miracle of human spirit. Get inspiration from Michelle as she shares her compelling journey.