Dear Friends,

On Wednesday night, one of my very good friends here will graduate and move back to her home state. I will definitely miss her presence in the house, but I am very excited for her and I can’t wait to hear how she is doing out in the “real world.” She has grown so much just in the time that I have been here, and though she is technically my junior, I look up to her in many ways, and she exudes wisdom far beyond her years.

I recently realized another benefit of the length of the program here. In other facilities that might last 30-60 days, it is much harder to see a great deal of growth in people. Although these shorter programs can be beneficial, people just kind of come in and out. As a newer resident, I didn’t really notice much difference between me and the people who completed the program. I think the opportunity new residents have here to witness people graduating is incredibly inspiring. It speaks volumes about the possibility for true change, if we are only willing to put forth the effort and be receptive to the help we are offered. (continue reading…)

Dear Friends,

This week has gone by incredibly fast. I can’t believe it is already Friday! One of the things I was worried about before I decided to come to A Friend’s House was the fact that the program was much longer than other standard treatment programs. Even though I definitely wanted (and needed) the benefits of a long-term program, I kept wondering if I was really committed to sacrificing what seemed like such a big chunk of time. After a little bit of thought, I realized that if I continued on with life in the manner I was living it, it would truly be losing that same amount of time. If I sacrificed nothing, I would gain nothing. (continue reading…)