Real Recovery Alumni Spotlight
Wells H.
For this week’s Real Recovery Alumni Spotlight we spoke with Wells H, a New Life House alumni currently going to school at USC and an aspiring actor. We spent some time with him this week catching up on his life!
New Life House: Was New Life House the first time you tried to get sober?
Wells: No, I went to about 5 different treatments, a combination of inpatient and outpatient treatment centers. New Life House was the first program that I took seriously though.
NLH: What was the catalyst that led to you coming in the house?
Wells: I overdosed 3 times on different drugs in a 4 day span. I was then given the option by my parents to either go to New Life House or hit the streets.
NLH: When you were in the house, what were your biggest struggles?
Wells: Letting go of my old friends and girlfriend and getting to see how unhealthy they were for me was difficult at first.
NLH: What did you do for work while you were in the house?
Wells: I sold women’s shoes at Nordstrom.
NLH: What was it like when you first moved out of the house and what’s it like now?
Wells:Initially when I moved out of the house it was right after I was the night manager for 6 months, I was so excited and felt ready to move out for sure. Things are great today – I live with two other sober graduates, all three of us are really busy and motivated with what we have going on.
NLH: What hobbies or passions are you currently focusing on?
Wells:I go to USC for school, and major in Acting. I absolutely love it – I found acting as a new passion and found it as a career path as well. I spend most of my time studying, doing auditions, looking for an agent but my love for it keeps me inspired and it still feels like a hobby. I also love going to the gym and working out when I have the time.
NLH: If you had to sum it up, what would you say you got from going through the house?
Wells: I gained an entire community of friends, built a foundation in AA that has carried me through tough times and gained a relationship with a sponsor that I actively work with. I am on great terms with my family and I have confidence in myself that I did not have before going through the house.
NLH: How do you stay involved with AA being so busy?
Wells: I have multiple sponsees, I have a commitment at a meeting that I love and I still attend AA social events.
NLH: What are your goals for this year?
Wells: To further my acting career and lock in an agent as well as perfect my craft through learning as much as possible.
NLH: What’s the number one principle from recovery that you bring into your acting career?
Wells: Being of service to others, bringing a positive attitude and helping the other actors has helped me perform so much better.
NLH: How does your recovery impact your acting or vice versa?
Wells: Being an actor without sobriety is not even possible for me. I realized that without my sobriety, I have a complete inability to be an actor
NLH: What’s one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring actor in the house or in AA in general?
Wells: Dive in with two feet like you did when getting sober or don’t do it at all!!
Thanks for talking with us Wells!
Last Updated on February 23, 2024
