Voices of Hope – Michael M.

“After 27 years of addiction, 2 years of living on the streets, and 6 visits to jail, I finally decided to enroll at Operation New Hope. There, I was given the opportunity to learn things I had long forgotten – things like resume writing and job interview skills. But the most important part of the program for me was the meeting setting and attending weekly art therapy sessions. Both helped me blossom socially after being introverted and antisocial for so long, lost in addiction and homelessness.

“I graduated from the Ready4Work program and continued to stay in sober living, but didn’t take any of the job connections initially offered. None of them felt like the right fit, so I worked odd jobs for about 9 months. However, I eventually had a wake up call that I needed to find a ‘real’ job. I knew I couldn’t go back into tattooing and remain on my sober path, or keep making ends meet with odd jobs, so one night, I prayed to get led into a good job. The very next morning, Ken from Operation New Hope called me and told me he had the perfect job opportunity for me – working at a detox facility. I said yes right away!

“I am now living purpose over a paycheck. What I learned at Operation New Hope has become the story that I share to help others. I have been at Tides Edge Recovery for 3 and 1/2 years, running 4 Art Therapy classes a week, and leading book studies and meditation sessions. I am a sponsor to 10 guys and my son is back in my life after 17 years of being lost in my drug addiction. I am going back to school to study counseling or therapy so I can pass the gift that I have on to others. I’ve grown to be a man who is reliable with an evolved personality that came out of the darkness of addiction. I was once so selfish and full of rage, but that has completely flipped in the last 4 years. I am now joyous, full of hope, and truly free.”