Anthony knows what it’s like to feel controlled by addiction. That’s why, during his second stay at BHN’s Northern Hope Center, Anthony has dedicated his time to helping others transform their lives in the same way BHN allowed him to do.
Anthony first came to the Northern Hope Center to take part in a detox program when he realized his alcohol abuse had spiraled out of control. He was willing to do anything to take back control of his life: “I had hit my rock bottom, and I couldn’t even stay a day sober. I was living to die, and dying to live.” He stayed at Northern Hope for a little over a month, where he took part in therapy groups and received tools to help him reintegrate into society. At Northern Hope, Anthony realized he wasn’t alone in his addiction; there were countless others going through the same struggle, and there were dozens of people ready to help them. “I realized that this is a ‘we’ program, not an ‘I’ program,” he says. “We addicts and alcoholics have to put our hands in each other’s hands— that’s the only way we’re going to survive and grow.”
Anthony spent a year in a halfway home after completing detox at Northern Hope, but he fell back into his alcohol abuse about 10 months after leaving the home. Now back at Northern Hope, Anthony is aiming to permanently tackle his alcohol addiction. But he says that a large part of his recovery this time involves leading by example and sharing his struggles with others like him.
Anthony is working as a peer leader at Northern Hope, which involves leading group therapy sessions and setting a positive example for his peers to look up to. Leading by example has been beneficial in his recovery, Anthony says, and sharing his knowledge and experiences with others to help them in their own recovery is extremely important to him.
“Once you get this, you’ve got to give it away,” he says. “Someone out there is dying to hear your story. And you have no idea how much that can really help another person and give them the hope that they can do this, too.”
Once he finishes his detox at Northern Hope, Anthony hopes to return to a halfway house to keep him from returning to alcohol. Anthony’s goal is to improve his life so he can follow his dreams and eventually start a family; and thanks to Northern Hope, he’s taken significant steps toward fulfilling that goal.
“I don’t know what I would do without this program,” Anthony says. “I need this program, and there’s people out there that need me to share my experience so they can recover, too. I’m grateful a program like this – that saves lives – exists.”
