Bala Cynwyd Addiction Recovery - With A Purpose

I lost everything: a loving family, friends who wanted nothing but the best for me, a job I loved, and my health.

I arrived at Life of Purpose (LOP) on a Monday. I was twenty-seven years old, extremely fearful, sad and hopeless. On that day, the staff greeted me and told me everything was going to be okay. Those words were simple, yet powerful, and exactly what I needed to hear.

I lost everything: a loving family, friends who wanted nothing but the best for me, a job I loved, and my health.

During my time at LOP, I was afforded the opportunity to work with an amazing therapist, who guided me through my challenges, a nurse, who would take my vitals and comfort me when I was having a panic attack (which meant the world to me), and a tech that taught me I could have fun watching football on Sundays without having a drink.

Fast forward almost two years later… I have my family in my life, friends that I can call anytime, a great job, a home, and a dog named Dr. Dre, who’s my best friend. I can say without any reservation, LOP provided me the necessary time to heal and to build a strong foundation, so when I left I was ready!

I came into Life of Purpose devoid of any hope that I would find an inch of sustained happiness.

I came into Life of Purpose devoid of any hope that I would find an inch of sustained happiness. Nonetheless, their program really worked. I wasn’t just following a schedule, I was given responsibilities that allowed me to tailor parts of my day, myself. These small differences allowed me to start finding myself and appreciate who I am. Their staff treated me like I mattered, which helped me start realizing that there was at least one place where I could feel okay. I soon started to gain confidence with their support, which led me to the life I have today. I came in with no interest of having any friends, and today my life is full. I go ice skating, bowling, to the movies, and have game nights. These might seem normal, but they are a miracle in my eyes. I spent months in isolation before coming to Life of Purpose because I did not trust anyone and I didn’t think anyone trusted me. I only started to try to have healthy relationships once I started to trust my therapist and started trying to live following their example.

As if it didn’t get any better, Life of Purpose also gave me the opportunity to go back to school. Before my alcoholism, I was a 4.0 student. Nonetheless, my disease took the best from me and I disappointed both myself and my family. Because of the help and guidance, I received from LOP, I am graduating in a couple of months from FAU with a BS in Neuroscience and Behavior and will hopefully be attending Medical School. It is clear to me, and to those who know me, that I have come a long way. I certainly had to make the right choices, but without the resources available, I can easily say I would not have found my way on my own. I am extremely grateful for the meticulous care that Life of Purpose offered me because they have led me to find harmony, balance, and a life worth living for.

I found myself walking to a train station to commit suicide. I could not deal with the pain and cycle of addiction that I couldn’t break, but that’s when I found Life of Purpose.

I came to Florida in 2013 to try and get sober. Five years later after multiple treatments, therapists and detoxes I found myself walking to a train station to commit suicide. I could not deal with the pain and cycle of addiction that I couldn’t break. I had been through Life of Purpose once already and decided that I did not want to continue doing what I was told to do in order to stay sober. Once again, I gambled away everything I had, hurt my family, burnt every bridge, lost my job and suicidal I made a call to Sarah and Lissa with hopes to make it back to Life of Purpose. They went above and beyond to get me back in while at the same time comforting me and assuring me that someone still loved me. I went through the program again having Staci as my therapist who I credit in helping to save my life. I was inpatient for two months, IOP for six months and still stay in contact with staff, staying connected. Summarizing what Life of Purpose has done for my family and I in one page would be impossible. Most importantly, I have my family back, I have my dream job, and I can genuinely laugh and be happy today. I am crying while writing this because I never thought I would get to the point of being able to say things like this. It did not seem possible. Life of Purpose is more than a treatment facility/program to me. They are my family.