Real Recovery Success Story: Ryan D.
This week we sat down with New Life House alumni Ryan D. Ryan’s life has completely transformed since beginning his recovery journey!
New Life House: What is your sobriety date?
Ryan: February 24, 2015.
NLH: Now that you have been out of the house for a few months, what does your involvement with the house consist of?
Ryan: I come to the big house meeting on Tuesday nights to check in with the guys and see how everyone has been doing during the week. I hit at least three to four meetings a week with the guys in the house. Taking rides with my roommates and the house members to AA meetings, and going to fellowship afterward is a good way to stay connected. I will occasionally give a call to the house a talk to some of the guys that I am close with, this allows me to keep in touch and set up things to do in the future.
NLH: I understand that you are currently working for Water Works. Have you always been interested in the plumbing field, and what are you currently doing for the company?
Ryan: Ever since I was a child my dad was a plumber and I loved working with him. I can remember being a little kid and getting to shut the water off and there is just something about it that excites me. Not only do I get to interact with clients and discuss the information and characteristics of the different products, but since I actually know the repair part of it, I have even been doing things that Water Works wouldn’t normally do. I have been on house calls to help some of our clients, and I get to fix things in the showrooms when they malfunction.
NLH: How were you able to reconnect with plumbing in sobriety ?
Ryan: I was able to reconnect in sobriety through the opportunities that arose in the house, and being able to use my experience and prior knowledge to get to the underlying issues. Not only that, I have brought my experience into the community of New Life and helped out other family members in the program. I was also able to give back to the house while I was in it by helping around the New Life Houses on different projects that needed to be done. And I feel that was very beneficial in my early sobriety because it gave me something to do and allowed me to practice something I really enjoy. I also was able to teach some people along the way what I learned and that makes me feel good.
NLH: What do your goals look like in the upcoming years in your career ?
Ryan: Ultimately I see myself within the next year or two moving into a sales position and will definitely see an increase in my salary and I will get to practice two things. I will be able to sell our products and have the opportunity use my self-confidence to excel in the position. Within three to five years, I’d like to be one of the top salesmen in the company. If I can continue to utilize the tools that New Life has taught me I see no reason why I shouldn’t have that. They taught me how to show up, how to handle situations which sometimes become tense or uneasy. And rather than going and seeking drugs I have a community that I can talk to and reach out to help walk me through it.
NLH: You had mentioned using your self-confidence when working with your clients. Is that something that you struggled with prior to coming to New Life?
Ryan: Before coming to the house I was insecure I didn’t have any real confidence in myself. If I didn’t have some sort of mind altering substance I wouldn’t be happy. I wouldn’t even be able to go to the grocery store, I would have to have something to just walk through the fear of leaving my house.
NLH: How did the program allow you to gain your confidence back?
Ryan: What I received from New Life was the tools that I needed to be able to look inward and face my insecurities so that I could conquer them and move forward. The house utilizes different techniques to really break down those barriers you have created in your mind that help seek out why you’re insecure, why you don’t feel happy, why the first thing you think about when you wake up is getting high. I would have to say the community alone that New Life House offers really helped me rebuild my self-confidence and all of the managers and staff. There’s so many different little tiny things that happen throughout a day at New Life that makes you just feel better.
NLH: Do you have any advice for people in recovery?
Ryan: Well, the number one thing is to just be persistent and to remember that sometimes it’s one day at a time, sometimes it’s one hour at a time and sometimes it’s one minute at a time.
NLH: Is there anything that you would like to add?
Ryan: I would just like to add a huge thanks to everyone at New Life House and all of the managers and the directors. They really helped me in early sobriety and pushed me to get me to where I am at today and I can’t even express how much gratitude I have for this program.
Thanks for your time Ryan!
Last Updated on May 24, 2022
