This is the audio from Recovery Stories Message of Hope, Part four, recorded on October seventeenth, twenty twenty four, in Traverse City, Michigan. This special presentation of the two seventeen Recovery podcast is courtesy of Month's in Behavioral Health. Here's Russ Herndon with a story about his recovery.
Jurney, how's it going, everybody. My name's Russ. I'm an addict alcoholic. My sobriety date is May twenty third, twenty twenty four. Thank you, the day that finally got me started down. This journey was just like any other day, the middle of May. I'm getting off of work ten hour day cooking pizzas for the masses, head to toe covered in flower cold outside. I'm a transplant from South Carolina.
It's always cold up here. But as I'm stumbling my way to the store to try and make sure I have what I need for the night, because I'm not going to run out, I can't go through that. I get into the store. Y'all know how it is. You go in the store, they see you every day. You don't have to say nothing, They just set it on the counter for you. Turned around, my best friend's standing there. She looks at me and says, with Russ, how you been.
I'm like, well, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a couple of years, and she says to me, you were at my house last weekend. I've gotten no recollection whatsoever of this. So after I leave, you know, I start strolling around town thinking to myself, what have I been doing these past couple of years? What are my memories? I've gotten no idea, been gone so much. The only thing I know is what people have told me, what they've shown me, and I think I'm gonna have
to change. I can't live like this anymore. But it didn't change that night. I waited till the next morning because I don't know. I guess I gave up. But that's what started me down the path to recovery. Went to treatment, and I kept hearing the same corny sayings over and over that nothing changes, nothing changes. Finally, about a month into treatment, it stuck with me. I decided I was going to change everything. That's what brought me to Travers City. I'm a resident at ATS Housing and
a tea house. It works, it'll do, but you know, instead of being the introverted, standalone person I've been most of my life. I've actually been reaching out and talking with people and things like that really help. When y'all are struggling, Remember there's friends in this room. Talk to somebody. They'll be there for you. If nothing changes, nothing changes, And I can honestly say today, when I look at myself in the mirror, I actually of the person I am today.
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