For Bobby, addiction wasn’t a choice—it was all he had ever known. He grew up in a family where drinking and using weren’t just habits; they were a way of life. His father is still an alcoholic. Much of his extended family struggles with addiction. The people he loved, the ones he grew up with, all walked the same path. To Bobby, addiction wasn’t something you fell into. It was just normal.
“We don’t get to spend much time with them, considering the fact that we’re going straight and sober.”
That statement carries the weight of a lifetime of separation. Twenty years of Bobby’s life were spent in that cycle, moving from one high to the next, unable to see a future beyond the next fix. His lowest point came when he dug himself a hole—six feet deep, just large enough to crawl into—and lived there for two and a half years. He wasn’t just homeless. He was buried. He had lost everything—his family, his dignity, his will to dream of anything better. And, at the time, he didn’t even care.
“At the time, I didn’t see anything wrong with it. I was all about living for the bash, the here and now.”
For two decades, Bobby knew nothing but addiction. He lost relationships, lost trust, lost time—so much time. Then, everything changed.
His breaking point came with an arrest—one that should have led to another prison sentence, another stretch of empty, wasted years. But this time, something was different. Instead of sending him back to a jail cell, the system offered him something new: Problem Solving Court. Instead of punishment, he was given a path forward. From there, he was sent to rehab, and when he completed treatment, he found himself standing at the doorstep of Another Chance House.
For the first time in his life, Bobby wasn’t just trying to survive—he was being given the chance to build something real. But here’s the truth: Bobby did the work. Another Chance House provided the tools, but he had to pick them up and use them. And he did.
At first, it was overwhelming. He had spent his entire life in survival mode. He had never had stability. He had never had structure. He had never been asked what he wanted for his future—because, for twenty years, he didn’t believe he had one. But at Another Chance House, he found a community that believed in him before he could believe in himself.
“They clear our plate and sit in front of us just the things we need to work on. And they take care of so much that being able to focus on those things is more than possible.”
With support from case managers and life skills classes, Bobby began to build himself up. He learned how to manage money and create a budget. He learned how to handle his mental health. He learned coping mechanisms, like meditation, to help him pause, breathe, and make decisions with a clear mind. He started setting goals—small at first, then bigger. And slowly, his life transformed.
For the first time in twenty years, Bobby is sober. He recently celebrated his one-year anniversary, a milestone he never thought he’d reach. And he wasn’t alone in celebrating. At Another Chance House, he is surrounded by men who know exactly what that kind of victory means.
“When I told one person it was my one-year anniversary, the whole house knew. Everybody was telling me congratulations. And you could tell it was sincere.”
These men walk the same road. They have seen what it is to fall, and they understand what it means to fight their way back up. And now, Bobby isn’t just surviving—he’s thriving. He is rebuilding the relationships he thought were lost forever. He talks to his family. His mother loves spending time with him again. His brother is proud of him.
But more than anything, Bobby is looking ahead. He is no longer just thinking about today. He is thinking about his future. He wants to go back to school, though he’s torn between two paths—electrical engineering, following in the footsteps of his brother, or becoming a paralegal, a passion fueled by his love for learning. Either way, he knows now that he can achieve something real.
“If Chris (another resident) can do it after spending 18 years in prison, then I can too. Absolutely, I can make it.”
That statement—I can make it—is everything. Because for so long, Bobby thought he couldn’t.
This is what Another Chance House does. It doesn’t just provide a bed. It provides a foundation. It provides stability, structure, guidance, and accountability. It gives men the space to heal and the tools to build something new. But what makes this place truly special is that no one is handed an easy way out. The men do the work.
Bobby did the work. And now, he has his life back.
