Brian's Story
When I think of Brian, I think of his Matchbox car collection that jumped out at you when you’d go up to his apartment. We allowed him to attach dozens of cars to his bedroom wall. It was quite the display and belied his otherwise serious demeanor. I was so proud of Brian when he started initiating check-ins with staff and started listening to our advice. With our help, he stopped kidding himself and understood for the first time that sobriety was what he truly wanted. ~Scott
The New Brian: A Journey of Resilience and Redemption
After a 30-year struggle with drugs and alcohol, Brian found his way to Bletzinger House for the first time. This initial residency allowed Brian to restore some of his confidence and gain a desire to be well under the caring, conscientious direction of the staff. He followed the rules and was back on his own a few months after moving in.
Unfortunately, Brian’s battle was just beginning, and within months, his mental health declined again, and he returned to Bletzinger. While Brian had many endearing traits -- a love for the band Kansas, a massive baseball card collection, and a dry sense of humor that he loved to share with others -- he was still too stubborn to be honest with himself. He found a benzo contact and relapsed while at Bletzinger. He stayed in the hospital briefly and resolved that he could do better. Still, a month later, it happened again, and his stay was terminated in favor of a more intensive mental health treatment facility.
Once again, when he graduated, Bletzinger was where he wanted to try again. Bletzinger’s director was skeptical but allowed Brian to return, provided he followed a plan that included daily check-ins with staff. As weeks and months passed, he began to refer to himself as the “New Brian.” Brian attended daily group meetings at Bletzinger, used music and meditation to center himself, and sometimes sought out words of wisdom from a staff-gifted book by Brene Brown: Atlas of the Heart.
Eight months after beginning his third stay at Bletzinger, Brian returned to his home with his girlfriend. He explained: “I have been to a lot of places (for treatment), but this has been the best. I’m never going back to drinking and drugs . . . and I don’t want to either.”