Matt’s More Than His Mistakes

Many people with substance use disorders have complicated histories due to challenges experienced during active use. A large part of the recovery process is accepting one’s past while beginning to hope for a brighter future. Matt is someone who refuses to let his previous mistakes define him. He’s positive, his family means the world to him, and he’s determined to move forward.

Before Matt found his way to Cazenovia Recovery, he was looking at some pretty serious prison time. He stole a car, got high and drunk, and crashed the car into a ditch. “My past wasn’t great,” he said. Thankfully, the court system placed him on probation instead of incarceration, and they connected him to substance use treatment.

A WHOLE TOUR

At the moment, Matt is enrolled in our Supportive Living program. However, he’s done “the whole tour” with Caz. He first completed a 28-day program with another provider and then admitted to Cazenovia Manor. After Cazenovia Manor, he transitioned to Unity House before finally moving into one of our Supportive Living apartments. “It really gave me the time to get my thoughts together,” said Matt.

Matt had high praise for two of our staff members he’s interacted with recently. At Unity House, he worked with Mika Lopez, a Support Services Specialist. Matt said she was “amazing” and that she kept his family in the loop. This was extremely important for Matt. Since he’s been at Supportive Living, he’s worked with Joshua Kellick. Joshua was previously the program’s Support Services Coordinator, and now he’s serving as the Program Director. “I get a lot of feedback from him,” Matt said. “It feels good to know that I have that support behind me. They want me to succeed,” he added.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY

Like many people, reconnecting with family has been a huge part of Matt’s recovery journey. He’s rebuilt relationships that he “thought were completely destroyed.” Thankfully, Matt’s family has always been supportive, and that helped him to realize how important they are to him. Once he stopped using, he started to see the effect his actions were having on others. “I never realized until I got a little bit sober,” Matt said. “Your actions do affect other people.”

Today, he sees his family almost every day. “They get to see the progress I’m making,” he explained. Matt’s overjoyed that they want him around and that they trust him now. “The little things are adding up,” said Matt.

Even though he’s experienced mistakes in his past, Matt knows that his family loves him unconditionally. This makes him feel empowered, and that’s one of the reasons why he felt brave enough to share his story. “I was apprehensive at first,” he admitted. However, being in the spotlight makes him feel proud. “I did something right,” Matt said. “It’s easy to look back at all the negative things. For over fifteen years, I’ve been struggling, but that old lifestyle is refundable. I like it better over here. It’s much nicer.”