Hi, my name is Melissa D and I am an alcoholic. I am an alumnus of Destination Hope and my sober date is March 17, 2010. I am from New Jersey and I am 32 years old. I work for the state, and I would not have imagined that my life would be so much better without alcohol; for that I will forever be grateful to Destination Hope. I came to DH so close to losing everything that mattered to me: my job, family, and friends all because I wasn’t able to give up the bottle.
I had been drinking for 15 years, and fought every day to just get through the day, I was just surviving. In a moment of clarity I realized what was important, I chose to live, and made the call. I spent 30 days at Destination hope and an additional 60 days in a halfway house. I learned so much in my time here at DH that has made my life amazing and made friends that are still in my life today. I’m not saying every day is easy but I have learned to make the best of a situation. I have learned that I can always start my day over at any time, I start it over like 100 times a day!
I have moved back to New Jersey where I have returned to my job. I have made direct amends to my family and friends. I am an active DH alumni member, and currently in school for addiction counseling to help others get through this hard place, and to help them see living life is worth the journey into recovery.
I make a trip to south Florida every year to pick up my medallion and visit DH to remind me of the journey that brought me to this new life and to stay connected to my roots. In closing, I would not change anything about my life. I may not proud of my past mistakes while I was drinking, but going through this journey has made me the woman I am today. Thank you Destination Hope for taking the time to help me, and still to this day keeping in touch.
