It was like an unspoken given that we all knew what was in each other’s hearts that day. Some shared their story on the sidelines, mother to mother. Some, you could just read their faces. There was an underlying excitement for the blessings we could see before us.
My son had been to many rehabs in his career of drugs that I always prayed would end and his life would be spared. All the famous rehab places, doctors, books, prescriptions, and halfway houses just washed away as he kept going down the path of destruction.
He’s been at Next Step Recovery for months now. At first, he had to begin to trust and see what and why this situation was different from the rest. What would happen, and how would he be received? Sensitive, disillusioned and needy, he came and vowed to be open-minded; in all honesty, I think he was curious. Nothing had really worked out before. There were healthy, happy guys here who were friends, and he wondered how all this worked.
Next Step stands out to me not as a business but more of a personal, caring family of people searching for their truth and path that they can share with a trustworthy staff of individuals who seem to accept and give them their trust. Each staff member brings something unique to the table and, together, they bring priceless strength and hope. Susan is their rock, and Brian is their role model. The rest of the staff complements the atmosphere with their knowledge, personalities and humor. It’s like a movie with all great leading characters (with character!). Ironic!
I didn’t think I’d ever be one to write a testimony for a place that my son stayed at because he usually moved out, moved on and kept running. I’m blessed today to be able to say he truly is in recovery. He couldn’t have done it without Next Step Recovery. He didn’t in the past, and I can see the difference. Susan really cares as does the rest of the staff. The resources, schedule, structure and atmosphere are taking my family to a wonderful place to be. My son loves Next Step, the people, the food and Asheville. Thank God and Next Step for giving me back my son and giving him back his life and new beginning!
—L.F.
As parents of a young man who is
struggling with addiction, it has been gut wrenching to
say the least. After several inpatient treatments and other
facilities, Next Step Recovery has been a godsend to us,
as well as to our son.
Next Step Recovery is committed
to helping their residents transition into a normal, addiction-free
life. They do this by providing life-skills training and
requiring several AA meetings each week. The program
is designed to give these men back their pride and dignity.
We have seen a change in our son.
Probably the biggest difference with Next Step is they
care. Susan and Mick have
a place in their hearts for their residents, and
they care about them. They want them to be successful. They
have always been there for us and my son—anytime we needed
them. They understand what the residents and their families
are going through.
You will not find a more caring,
well-equipped, or safer place than Next Step Recovery.
God bless the staff and their work there.
—D.D & P.D.
Our son is excited about your program; he has never sounded more positive. We have experienced several previous attempts at addressing his addiction issues with little to no success.
The thing that is the most impressive about Next Step is the commitment of the staff involved in your program and the quality of the young men striving to work through various addiction issues.
From our very first visit, we were amazed with the positive and polite men in your program; there was a very positive attitude from everyone involved. We never experienced this before. Our son deals with relationship addiction issues, and the ability to be associated with quality people is critical to his success.
Thank you for your hard work.
—J.A.
I guess the best way for me
to describe my impression of Next Step Recovery is
to start with the fact that it had never occurred to
me that after rehab, my son would not be coming home.
When it came time to discuss
our son's recovery plans and the idea of a "halfway
house" came up, it sounded like a good plan—he
would still be with people he had developed close ties
to that could help with his support. Our son's reaction also
helped tremendously as we watched him visit each of
his "buds" at Pavillon, holding the Next
Step brochure high and exclaiming, "I'm going!"
When my husband and I got home
from our visit and I sat down to read over the guidelines,
it all hit at once. The only concept I had of Next
Step was like most people who haven't dealt with addiction issues
before: a halfway house was something less than normal;
a place where you go when you don't measure up. I cried.
A lot.
After several lectures from
my husband about not having anything to cry about and
how much we had to be thankful for, I opened myself
up to the idea that this must be the right choice for
our son or his counselor wouldn't have recommended
it. When I called Next Step to confirm the time that
we would be bringing our son, the person I spoke
with was very kind and reassuring. Still, doubts remained.
Drop-off day came, and I still held
on to my doubts. We were greeted by Susan and Mick
as soon as we pulled into the drive. I knew from previous
telephone conversations that Susan was the director
of the house. We sat in the office as one of the house
managers, Mick, explained their policies and what would
be expected of our son to qualify to stay as a resident
of Next Step, and I realized just how much this could
help.
I was an "enabler," and
if you are at this point, I am sure you have heard
this term before. I had managed to let my son get by
without making him do any of the things they called
"life skills," and this was what my son had to do to
stay here. Being a productive person while staying
clean was really going to take effort on our son's
part
but, to my relief, he appeared anxious to take this
step.
I came out of that meeting feeling
confident that this was going to have good results.
It was all up to our son now. Mick took us on a tour
of the facilities and showed our son his room then
offered to help him move some of this things. It was
time for us to leave, and I was feeling more encouraged
about our son's chances of recovery. These seemed like
good people.
It has now been seven months,
and our son is clean and attending technical school.
Our family has developed a close relationship with
the staff at Next Step. Susan, Mick, Toney and Terry
have all, in their own ways, helped us through this
process. They have been there for our son, and they have
helped with any need we had to get here.
Our son calls Next Step home
now instead of "the house" in our conversations.
He has fit in well and is comfortable with the staff
at Next Step because they all know what it is like
to be an addict. They know how to react to the residents'
ups and downs and how to support them through hard
times without being a crutch. They have helped our
son help himself.
For our family, it has been
a blessing to know that our son is living with people
that he can discuss his issues with that won't judge
but offer realistic solutions. These are the people
who have seen it all and know what he is going through.
They know what to watch for to determine when extra
guidance is needed, and they are willing to work closely
with us if we have concerns about his care.
I am truly grateful we were
able to get our son in the Next Step program, and I
am sure he is as grateful to know he can stay as long
as he needs. All he has to do is work the program day
to day, and he can get through this. I don't think
we could have asked for more.
I offer heartfelt thanks to
Susan, Mick, Toney and Terry for all they do each day
for the residents and their families.
—B.S.
