My name is Mitch and I’m a recovering alcoholic and addict. I’d like to tell you a little story about my life and how South Coast Counseling in all probability saved it and since then has certainly enhanced it. I started using drugs and alcohol at the age of 17 and gradually graduated to being a daily user and abuser of cocaine, marijuana, and/or alcohol. It had affected my life to the point that I was losing relationships, jobs, apartments, and of course lots of money. I was bankrupt financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I had tried to quit numerous times using various methods such as therapy with a counselor that my girlfriend had recommended, a 5-day detox program, a 30-day treatment center in New York, NA meetings, etc. I felt that I had tried everything and nothing was working. When I relapsed again after having over 60 days clean and sober I was encouraged to enter another 30 day treatment program, this time in Missouri.
Near the end of my 30 days there we were working on my exit plan and my counselor suggested that I enroll in a recovery home for 90 days. I asked where these homes were located. They recommended either Florida, Arizona, or California. I decided that I would look into one in California since I had never been there and always wanted to. They suggested South Coast Counseling in Costa Mesa, California. How was I to know at that time that this would be the turning point in my life and it would be forever changed as I knew it? I came to California not knowing what would happen but hoping that it would help me. I had been a New Yorker my whole life and knew that this would be a major change. Upon arriving in California and starting my life at South Coast Counseling it was apparent that things would be different. I had to sign a contract to agree to stay at the recovery home for a period of 90 days so that I could be eligible to be an alumni. I had to agree to the rules of the house which included being home for dinner every night, working a job during the day, having a curfew at night, doing chores around the house, and of course attending regular AA meetings.
This was a fairly extensive and structured environment and it was exactly what I needed at the time even though I’m sure that I moaned and groaned about it some of the time. I wasn’t exactly Mr. Positive when I first arrived on the scene at the recovery home. I now know of some of the other recovery homes in our area and they are not as structured and I’m sure their success rates are not even close to what South Coast’s are. One of the first things that struck me about the house was how supportive the staff and alumni were. I was a stranger in that house and in this state and they welcomed me with open arms. The Director of the program, a wonderful man named Jack M., was strict about following the rules but you knew that he cared about all of us. He was in recovery as well and had 6 or 7 years clean and sober at that time. This was back in 1990. Also there was a weekly alumni meeting on Wednesday nights where former residents came to eat dinner and attend the AA meeting. This was very helpful to me to be able to hear their experiences at South Coast as well as what happened to them after. We had a strong group of alums that attended that meeting and helped us through our time there. They sponsored some of us, attended events with us, and basically just showed us that by staying sober and working a program, we could also have normal lives once we completed our required 90 days or more. I got through my time at the recovery home and some miraculous things happened for me. I was able to go back into my old field of Information Technology and stayed at a job at Ingram Micro for 12 years until they outsourced our whole department.
I ended up marrying the same woman who had tried to help me get sober when I was in New York. I became a responsible, productive member of society who works, pays his bills, helps others, and worships God. This is totally opposite of the person I was before I came to South Coast Counseling. The alumni have grown over the years and this current group does a lot for the residents of the house. We try to support them and show them the way just like I was. We have monthly events with them that show how much fun there can be in sobriety. We have some yearly events as well such as Mardi Gras, Oktoberfest, and more than I can even mention. There are no other recovery homes that do the vast amount of service and fellowship with the residents of the house as well as with the Orange County community. I am proud to be a member of the alumni of South Coast Counseling and God willing on April 19 of this year I will have 19 years clean and sober.
I cannot give a stronger recommendation to South Coast Counseling. It not only saved my life, it gave me my life. Before attending the program in 1990, I had but an existence. I am eternally grateful to my Higher Power, my counselor at Clear Pointe rehab in Missouri, Jack, my wife, and all of the alumni and residents that have helped me over the years. It has been an incredible journey and I am looking forward to the future to see what happens.
