Stories of Recovery | Alcoholism, Addiction & 12 Step Spirituality

How does a person go from living in the woods and running from bloodhounds to holding his community accountable to protect his fellow clients in treatment? At our treatment centers, we use community living as a therapeutic tool to teach real-world recovery skills. Cris S.’s story is evidence of this. He shares his experience at […]

The post Ep 57: Enough Dope to Kill a Baseball Team appeared first on .

Self-acceptance is an important part of recovery. Growing up gay in a community where that wasn’t accepted, Keith W. felt flawed—like something was wrong with him. When he found drugs and alcohol, he found relief. While drinking and using heavily, he made it through pharmacy school and even started his career. He transitioned away from […]

The post Ep 56: How I Learned Self-Acceptance appeared first on .

In this episode we hear from Nicole T., a medical professional who went through MARR when she was 19 years old, long before her career started. Later, as her career was getting going, she relapsed and stayed active in her alcoholism and addiction for 3 years. Her parents wanted to send her back to MARR […]

The post Ep 55: A Scholarship Helped Me Come Back appeared first on .

What are some of the specific ways a parent’s addiction affects the lives of their children? How do parents who are in recovery start to rebuild the family’s home life? These are the questions that the staff members of MARR’s Right Side Up program address on a daily basis. Alisa Sawyer is a Therapeutic Child […]

The post Ep 54: How a Parent’s Addiction Can Affect the Children appeared first on .

What is the role of prayer in recovery? What if I’m not religious, or don’t even believe in God?  Can prayer help me in uncertain times? Can it help me in the face of COVID-19?  Ashley McQueen (episode 4) and Jordan Detweiler (episode 24 and the article “My Heroin Addiction”) are MARR counselors who are in […]

The post Ep 53: Prayer and Connection During COVID-19 appeared first on .

At MARR, we do not specifically address nicotine dependence as part of our program of treatment. Clients are permitted to smoke cigarettes, though they are not permitted to use e-cigarettes (also referred to as “vaping”). To get a clinical perspective on the issues of smoking and vaping as they relate to long-term health and recovery, […]

The post Ep 52: The Risks of Vaping appeared first on .

Alison Broderick and Matt Erwin are both in long-term recovery. Matt was Alison’s DUI course instructor. At the time, Alison didn’t think she was an alcoholic, but was intrigued with the course material. She stayed in touch with Matt after the class was over. She would reach out to Matt as she continued to have […]

The post Ep 51: How Do I Know if I’m an Alcoholic? appeared first on .

When Matt R. was in treatment, his wife at the time was also in treatment separate from him. He describes the difficulty of focusing on his recovery and trying to let his wife focus on hers. Ultimately, she relapsed and was asked to leave her program. In an attempt to save her, Matt left his […]

The post Ep 50: Part 2 | I Didn’t Want to Live Anymore appeared first on .

Matt R. was ready to end his life, or so he thought. What he learned in treatment and the relationships he built there allowed him to take another path. He starts us off by discussing the desperate places that addiction took him, and he also shares some of the moments in treatment that made a […]

The post Ep 49: Part 1 | I Didn’t Want to Live Anymore appeared first on .

Tina C. had been abusing drugs since the age of 14, but she didn’t know anything about addiction. She was headed for prison when she was offered a last minute opportunity to go to treatment instead. Despite being terrified, she took the opportunity and came to MARR’s Right Side Up Program for help. Nearly 8 […]

The post Ep 48: I Didn’t Know About Addiction or Mental Health appeared first on .