Recovery apartments help with fresh starts
COSHOCTON – Everyone deserves a fresh start and for that reason The Beacon has chosen to change the name of the Coshocton Behavioral Health Choices client interviewed for this story.
After being clean for 11 months Jane Doe thought she had conquered her substance abuse problem. Unfortunately, she relapsed and in the matter of a month she lost her house, her kids, her job and was arrested for possession of cocaine.
“It all happened so quickly and I was right back where I started,” Doe said.
She started abusing drugs and alcohol at the age of 15.
“I’d just substitute one for the other,” Doe said. “If I couldn’t get one I’d go for the other.”
She left home at 17 to leave what she called “a bad environment” and ended up marrying a man she never should have. Then at 26 she went to prison for possession of cocaine.
“After I got out of prison I tried to commit suicide and children services ended up taking my kids,” Doe said. “I got clean and dry, but I wasn’t sober. I wasn’t doing anything for my mental health to help me remain sober.”
That’s when she relapsed and decided she had to make a decision between two choices.
“I knew I was either going to die or make the choice to get sober,” Doe said. “This time I went to rehab because I wanted to go.”
She is now 35 and with the help of Coshocton Behavioral Health Choices (CBHC) has been sober for almost 19 months.
“All the promises you hear about in AA have come true or are starting to come true,” Doe said.
After she got out of rehab, Doe started counseling with CBHC and became a resident in their recovery apartments in April 2016.
“I work full time, I got my kids back, have a better relationship with my 16-year-old son than I ever have and am happier with myself than I’ve ever been,” Doe said.
The public will be able to tour CBHC’s recovery apartments during a special 45th anniversary open house celebration from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, July 21.
“Coming here gave me the opportunity to keep myself accountable, save money and be in a good environment that is safe and secure for me and my kids,” Doe said. “It also helped me keep myself on track until I felt like I was able to do that myself.”
Recovery apartment residents are active clients of CBHC and must be sober for a minimum of 30 days before they move in. The treatment team then discusses their eligibility and they try to select people who have no other housing options.
“A lot of the people who have lived here have been homeless, came straight out of recovery, prison or jail and have no sober environment to live in,” said Jeanette Hall, Doe’s counselor. “We’ve seen so many people come from rehab or out of jail and go right back to using or dealing because they didn’t have a support system for their recovery or a safe environment to live in. Here they get support, treatment and help with finding employment, learning life skills and budgeting, plus there is a security system for safety.”
The tenants also have to follow rules like curfew and find employment. If they do not immediately find employment they must do community service. Their monthly rent gradually increases up to $600, a point where they should be able to maintain an apartment on their own.
“We don’t have a deadline for them to move on, but our whole goal is for them to become self sufficient,” Hall said. “Doe has a wonderful opportunity to move out and that’s what we want for our clients.”
Doe is both excited and scared for the next step in her life.
“I know I still need support so I’m still going to see my counselors until I don’t feel like I need that,” she said. “Getting clean is easy compared to staying clean. I know I still need my support team so I’m going to keep using it to help keep me sober.”
More information
Coshocton Behavioral Health Choices is celebrating 45 years of service and the community is invited to join CBHC staff and board members for light refreshments and an open house. The event will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, July 21 at 610 Walnut St. The mayor will start the celebration with a ribbon cutting at 10:45 a.m. and then the community will be able to meet staff and tour CBHC’s expanded treatment facility and its new recovery apartments.
Category: People & Places
