By: Jennifer

My name is Jennifer and I started the 8 weeks of classes knowing that I had made a huge mistake by relapsing and I was ready to take the responsibility of doing what needed to be done to make sure I obtained the knowledge Ms. Tricia Mills was able to give me. I will start by saying before my relapse I had almost 8 years clean. That's when I found out some devastating news and it flipped my world upside down. Ms. Mills was able to get me to talk about the issues I was having and why this would make me go back to something in my life that I never wanted to do again. She isn't like a normal therapist or even addiction counselor that I've ever dealt with, she talks to you not at you. She uses her own experiences in life to make you more at ease and comfortable to talk about anything and work it out. I've never been as open with any group about my past as I was in this class, thanks to her and the fact that there isn't any judgment. I will always appreciate her and how she handles her class!!!

By: Christian

At first, I thought this class was just going to be something I just had to go to and I would never learn anything. After one class I could tell that wasn’t the case. Ms. Tricia has a topic planned for every class and usually a little exercise to go along with it. She really tries to connect with everyone personally and understands everyone. I am glad I took this class because I learned a lot and it put me on the path I need to be on. Ms. Tricia was so awesome!

Stages Of Change

By: Djery Princival ( Jerry Richards )

Hello,
Its me again, hiding in my shell
It’s uncomfortable as hell, but it’s safe
It Protects me from the things that I want to say,
Things that might expose the truth
Things that might make you realize I am not okay.

Today,
I realize now no one is okay
Not screaming when you’re hurting doesn’t make you brave
Still questioning yesterday
Why would you hide when help is on the way?
It’s Time to look fear in the face.

The plan,
Is to become who I say I am
And not who they think I am,
You see the pressure makes me relapse
So I drink just to feel detached,
From something that is part of me,
I created these nightmares because I dared to dream
But I rather fail than not try anything.
I am ready to be me again.... Sane.

The Future,
You wouldn’t believe how far we came,
We use to drown In sorrow and drink our pain,
Now look at us, reminsicing of times in mental chains
Hope you never look back again.
You finally became a sober man.
The stages of change.

Thank you

By: Patrick

I wanted to take the time to thank you and your staff, especially my Counselor Tricia for making this experience so beneficial and pleasant. Often times people in my position are overlooked and looked down upon, but I have been lifted up and supported on my journey. Tricia is definitely an asset to your team. She was relatable and has a unique gift in bringing out the best in people. I have watched people open up and in such a way that I can see change in everyone in my class. My prayer is that you all be able to continue this work, because it is truly a ministry that alot of people need and I count myself fortunate to have found you. Please let Tricia know I am grateful for her spirit and for the time we shared. I am a better man for it! (Israel)

I want to start by saying thanks to Tricia. These classes really opened up some new perspectives for me and how I should handle any situation. She was a strong communicator meaning she listened more than she spoke. She also had some very good feedback from each point made. She always asked questions that challenges me. Tricia made me feel validated, even when I feel like my answers might not make sense. She would try to simplify it so everyone else can have a better understanding. I am thankful for being a part of this class. I feel confident about everything I learned, and I even started applying what I learned in my everyday life. (Tajay)

Thank you for you amazing insight and help. I promise I will fight the good fight. (Greg)

Thank you and I wanted to say that I really enjoyed you as my teacher, you really showed me that there is more to life than trying to get high all the time, I’ve realized that though you can become successful smoking weed, it really hinders your thinking capabilities and control over your actions because you don’t really care about anything. You’re awesome, and please keep helping others through the struggles of drug problems and alcohol because there are a lot of people out there who need you a lot more than I did (Austin)

Hello, Being In Ms. Tricia’s Class Taught Me A Lot & I Also Learned A lot From Being In There With Different People. I Got To Hear About Other People’s Life Story. We All Really Had A Lot Of Similarities In Our Everyday Life But Most Of All She Taught Me To Not Run Away From My Pain, Just Solve It Out & She Always Taught Me You DONT Always Gotta Smoke.. I Can Do Other Things To Not Smoke .. Most Of All THIS CLASS TAUGHT ME TO GET MY LIFE TOGETHER. (Tayliah)

Tricia is one of the best counselors I had she always keeps you engaged in what you’re doing in class she help me a lot.

By: Israel

I wanted to take the time to thank my Counselor Tricia for making this experience so beneficial and pleasant. Often times people in my position are overlooked and looked down upon, but I have been lifted up and supported on my journey. Tricia is definitely an asset to your team. She was relatable and has a unique gift in bringing out the best in people. I have watched people open up and in such a way that I can see change in everyone in my class. My prayer is that you all be able to continue this work, because it is truly a ministry that a lot of people need and I count myself fortunate to have found you. Please let Tricia know I am grateful for her spirit and for the time we shared. I am a better man for it!