Recovery Unplugged Alumni Spotlight

Kyle S.

Clean since June 2, 2021

I knew nothing would change for me unless I was able to remove alcohol completely from my life. I could no longer control my use and it no longer served me in a positive way. The alcohol took me to a dark place where I became isolated with my mental and physical health deteriorating.

I wanted a way out. I wanted more for myself and to be the best man I could be for all of my loved ones. I wanted to get back to the person I was before the drinks took over and put myself in a position that allowed me to grow as an individual and pursue a fulfilling life. I ultimately wanted true connection and to be a part of humanity again. This is when I heard about Recovery Unplugged.

I was open minded enough to give it a shot and I took a plane straight to Recovery Unplugged from a detox in Georgia which may be the best decision I have ever made. Recovery Unplugged and its caring staff loved me back to life and gave me enough time away from alcohol to learn how to deal with life and my emotions in healthy ways. They supplied me with all the resources and tools to rediscover myself and guide me down a positive path. They introduced me to an amazing community of people who all had the same goal as me: to be the best versions of themselves.

Recovery Unplugged gave me the strength to advocate for myself and my well-being. With the foundation Recovery Unplugged has given me, my life has completely turned around. There is no telling what is in store for me if I continue to stay connected with Recovery Unplugged, NA/AA, service, my sponsor, and the twelve steps because I have already received so much internally through this experience. I have the unconditional love of my family, amazing new relationships, a career in sales and hospitality, and a healthy mind and body. I am forever grateful to Recovery Unplugged and hope that as many other people like me are able to go to them and find the life they have been praying for. They are there for you right now.

My advice to anyone struggling with addiction is to give treatment a shot.for 30 days…what do you have to lose? Give it an honest 30 days and after that you can reevaluate your situation. My advice to the family would be to do what my family did. What helped me, is my family letting me go on my own journey. They didn’t enable me in any way and when my safety net was gone that’s when I became willing to even think about recovery.

The two biggest lessons I’ve learned from recovery are that surrendering isn’t weak to meet people where they are in their lives. Have faith in the process. In early recovery, I listened to the suggestions. I had to go through some problems because I’m hard-headed. But after showing up for so long, I became more willing every day. More opportunities were happening for me because I showed up to meetings and took suggestions. I got a sponsor, did service work and went to 90 meetings in 90 days.

Currently I still don’t have a car and I live/work at a halfway house, not because I can’t get those things, but because I want to remain teachable, honest, focused, and humble for as long as possible. When I accomplish things, I sometimes take my foot off the gas and I can’t afford to do that when it comes to my recovery. The best part of my recovery is having an open and honest relationship with my family. We talk about positivity now and we respect each other. My favorite part about recovery is helping people who are as sick as I was, it gives me purpose. I would use drugs by myself, I’d be talking to myself in the basement somewhere, I didn’t think I’d ever have friends again or that anyone would want to spend time with me. The fact that I have friends, and good friends at that, is a miracle. Being able to help someone who has felt the same feelings of pain and guilt as me is what keeps me sober.