Humans in Recovery

Last year over 100,000 people succumbed to fatal drug overdose. At the same time, every day Recovery Unplugged sees the best of humanity as we guide our clients toward health, peace of mind, and lasting wellness. Our Humans in Recovery series serves to tell these stories while letting those who have not yet found their way to treatment know that it’s never too late to turn it all around. Recovery Unplugged wants to celebrate the incredibly diverse recovery community, highlighting their struggles, stories, accomplishments, and the lives they’ve built.

Dan D - Humans in Recovery

Dan D.

"Being in recovery is so freeing. I don’t have crazy thoughts. I don’t have to act out on my emotions, I can set boundaries."

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Virginia V. - Humans in Recovery

Virginia V.

"I would encourage anyone struggling with addiction to give themselves a break."

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Keri B - Humans in Recovery

Keri B.

“I've learned if I just concentrate on myself, the rest falls into place.”

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Humans in Recovery - Carlos T.

CARLOS T.

"Life continues to get better, and it’s all because I continued to work the program."

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Humans in Recovery - Sarah K.

SARAH K.

“For people who are struggling, even people who are in recovery, just hold on. It does get better!”

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Humans in Recovery - Michael A.

MICHAEL A

"I had never used music as a tool in recovery before, now I do every day."

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Humans in Recovery - Josiah M.

JOSIAH M.

“The power of love is real—it’s the most powerful thing on the planet and I’m so grateful to have been open to it.”

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Vicki Q - Humans in Recovery

VICKI Q.

“Active addiction was me holding on to any hope that I could use drugs.”

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Marissa D - Humans in Recovery

MARISA D.

“Being in active addiction is like your own self-made personal hell.”

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Yessica L - Humans in Recovery

YESSICA L.

“It can be harder to love someone who's using than it is to be the one using.”

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Alex K - Humans in Recovery

ALEC K.

"I was just trying to put a bandaid on a broken bone."

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Brandon W - Humans in Recovery

BRANDON W.

“I didn't see myself ever having a life worth living.”

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Colleen - Humans in Recovery

COLLEEN THOMAS

"I was tied down by the drug, chasing the dragon."

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Drew - Humans in Recovery

DREW

"I started idolizing people that died from drug addiction and suicide."

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Chris K. - Humans in Recovery

CHRIS K.

“Nobody knew where I was, but I used my card to buy a gun.”

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Marie S. - Humans in Recovery

MARIE S.

"I couldn't take any more people down with me."

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Chris Gates - Humans in Recovery

CHRIS GATES

"I found myself sitting with a gun in one hand and a syringe in another, trying to decide which one to use."

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Terry B - Humans in Recovery

TERRY B.

“I thought ‘I think this is how it ends. I’m gonna die like this.”

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Jason Amato - Humans in Recovery

JASON AMATO

“My family and friends were scared of me.”

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Parker Summers - Humans in Recovery

PARKER SUMMERS

"I’m just going to get messed up until I can find anything else to do."

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Zachary Bishop - Humans in Recovery

ZACHARY BISHOP

"I was slowly killing myself."

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Richard Wall - Humans in Recovery

RICHARD WALL

"I played a complete victim role in my own mental health"

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CJ Roberts - Humans in Recovery

CJ ROBERTS

“I hadn’t realized how much I actually hated myself.”

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Ashley Armstrong - Humans in Recovery

ASHLEY ARMSTRONG

"You can be scared and still make the move to get better."

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Jillian Owens - Humans in Recovery

JILLIAN OWENS

"I was questioning why I existed at a very young age."

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Kasi Roy - Humans in Recovery

KASI ROY

"I thought, "If I die, I don’t really care."

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Ryan Toth - Humans in Recovery

RYAN TOTH

"I was dead spiritually, and I felt like I was going to die physically"

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Joey Grant - Humans in Recovery

JOEY GRANT

"I feel like my spirit was broken."

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Joseph Pignatelli Jr. - Humans in Recovery

JOSEPH PIGNATELLI JR.

"The only time I wasn’t looking to use was when I was unconscious."

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Kaylin Turpin - Humans in Recovery

KAYLIN TURPIN

“I kept finding myself isolated and wanting to die”

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Pam Crea - Humans in Recovery

PAM CREA

"It seemed like I was loving the drugs more than being a mom"

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Lisa DeAngelis - Humans in Recovery

LISA DEANGELIS

"You have hopes and dreams for your child and you realize that they may never happen."

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Melissa Gary - Humans in Recovery

MELISSA GARY

"It took me away from everything and everybody I loved."

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Jamie Linver - Humans in Recovery

JAMIE LINVER

"I had never been so afraid of my own daughter."

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Damian Ramirez - Humans in Recovery

DAMIAN RAMIREZ

"It is possible to find a new way to live and to stop using, even though it seems impossible."

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Sara Yosseif - Humans in Recovery

SARA YOSSEIF

"I just became this empty person that I didn’t know anymore"

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Abigail-Dorfman - Human in Recovery

ABIGAIL DORFMAN

"I couldn’t even recognize who Abby was anymore. There was no me left."

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Blake Cohen - Human in Recovery

BLAKE COHEN

“…looking back, it was awful and I was totally lost.”

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David G. - Human in Recovery

DAVID G.

"I’m not a slave to a substance"

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Chandler Hendershott - Human in Recovery

CHANDLER HENDERSHOTT

"I knew I either had to die, or try to get clean."

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Ryan O'Connor - Human in Recovery

RYAN O'CONNOR

“By the end, it was like living the worst nightmare you’ve ever had”

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Sehar Ryan - Human in Recovery

SEHAR RYAN

"My advice is to hold on, pain ends."

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Jonah Brooks - Humans in Recovery

JONAH BROOKS

“I realized that I was close to death.”

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Nicole Walck - Humans in Recovery

NICOLE WALCK

"If I can get sober, anybody can get sober, and the excuses need to stop."

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Carly Hatchell - Humans in Recovery

CARLY H.

"That was what I had been waiting for my whole life- to get sober."

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Doc McGhee - Humans In Recovery

DOC MCGHEE

"I could spend all the time in the world building their career, but trying to save them as a person- it's too hard"

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Erika Murphy

ERIKA MURPHY

"I really got to see myself and what I had done to my family; and that’s somebody that I never wanted to be."

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Josem Lantigua

JOSEM LANTIGUA

"I realized that the life I was leading wasn’t any way to live."

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Beth Sullivan Jawitz

BETH SULLIVAN JAWITZ

"It was a habit I couldn’t break and it made me suicidal every day."

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Rob Lohman - Humans in Recovery

ROB LOHMAN

“…alcohol pretty much became my master when I was 14 years old”

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Michael Demchack Humans in Recovery

MICHAEL DEMCHACK

"…because alone, no one is stronger than addiction."

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Jason Cabello - Humans in Recovery

JASON CABELLO

"I didnt even care that I had no future other than living in a bathroom."

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Noah Giovannini-Dolan - Humans in Recovery

NOAH GIOVANNINI-DOLAN

"I had my first overdose when I was 14."

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Adam David - Humans in Recovery

ADAM DAVID

"The idea of coming back just to do the same thing all over again was horrible."

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