I am Rosalind, an alcoholic. My sober date is December 29, 2010. I am an alumni of The Healing Place in good standing. I am writing this to say how grateful I am to The Healing Place for opening its doors to me. Thank you to the staff in the detox for receiving me with open arms and making me feel a part of something and for loving me to life instead of death. I also want to share my experience, strength, and hope with anyone who is just like me.

That person who seeks the ease and comfort of a drink or a drug to mask the pain that I felt on the inside because of the hurt and harm that I had caused myself and the people who loved me most… my family, friends, children – the list goes on. When I walked through the doors of The Healing Place women’s campus in 2010 at the age of 50, I was addicted to crack cocaine and an alcoholic. I was homeless, helpless, and I thought I was unlovable, because at that time I didn’t even love myself.

What gave me a small glimmer of hope was that all the staff in detox were recovering addicts and alcoholics. They shared that with me and showed me that long-term recovery is possible. They had learned how to live a successful life without the use of drugs and alcohol… and told me that I could too. That put a feeling of hope inside of me that I hadn’t felt in 14 years. I finally believed there was a way out of the bondage that I’d trapped myself in. The detox staff gave me guidance and suggestions on how to achieve what they had – peace of mind, heart, and spirit. They never told me what to do – they gave me suggestions that I could choose to take or not. The choice was mine to make. Looking at my life at the time and then looking at those caring ladies, I was willing.

There are times when I sit and reminisce over my experiences at The Healing Place and in detox. Because of those experiences, today I can be a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, a friend… the list goes on.

It brings to mind the lyrics of the theme song to Cheers. Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came. Thank you to The Healing Place, because today wherever I go, people are always glad I came.