“I knew I needed help; I just didn’t know where to start,” says Alex. “My life was completely unmanageable.”

Alex has been navigating substance use disorder since he was 16, when he started smoking marijuana with friends; it was a way, he now understands, of self-medicating to deal with internal stress. After losing his father at age five, Alex grew up feeling responsible for supporting his mother and sister. In his teens, dealing drugs felt like an efficient way to avoid debt and gain access to substances. By 22, he was using and selling cocaine, and had a police record that included a DUI and a couple of felonies. He knew living this way was unsustainable.

Alex was arrested and, after being released from jail, tried to get control over his addiction. He attempted to enroll in a private rehab center but faced a series of obstacles from his insurance.

“I had the full intention of doing better,” says Alex. “But I didn’t understand this disease. I thought I could go back to using just a little bit and it would be alright.”

Soon after violating his probation, Alex turned himself in. It was during his second stint in jail that he joined the Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities (TASC) program and first learned about Buckelew’s Orenda Center. This single point of contact changed everything.

“I can’t speak highly enough about the Orenda staff,” says Alex. “They helped me feel more at home. The whole experience was very humanizing.”

Through treatment, Alex gained a stronger understanding about substance use and how to navigate sobriety. He credits having time, a supportive environment, and people who believe in recovery for the incredible progress he has made.

“Orenda gives people who seem like unlikely candidates another chance at their lives,” says Alex. “The opportunity to restart and reinvent yourself, no matter how far gone you think you are.”

Today, Alex is off probation for the first time in four years. He is pursuing a Construction Management Certificate at Santa Rosa Junior College and has a spot waiting for him in the Carpenters Union. He will soon step into a supporting role as a housing manager for Buckelew’s new Housing for Hope sober living home in Santa Rosa.

“My next steps are getting back to being a good friend, a good son, and a good role model in my community.”