“I remember walking down Robertson Boulevard and seeing a group of people outside smoking and talking to each other. They were smiling and laughing, and to me, who was trying to get sober, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to smile and laugh like that because I was so deep in pain. And then when I went in, there was this big, bright room with these rows of chairs. It felt like a community, and they all welcomed me in with open arms. Someone padded a seat and said, “Sit next to me.” And the first speaker spoke their truth so openly and honestly that it was inspiring. It made me comfortable and I kept coming back. I remember getting my first 24-hour chip, and that was such a pivotal moment. I relapsed months after that, and I didn’t get sober until 2015. But I took so much of what I learned in the 60 days that I was sober back in 2008, when I went to the recovery center. I took so much of what I learned from that portion of time into my current sobriety, which is now over 11 years. I think back so positively to that moment and about how there are so many people who are there for you if you need it, and that’s the one thing that I love. The Recovery Center is always there if I ever need it. It’s there for everyone.”

— Kody Christiansen