By: Jared, Transformations Alumnus Hello fellow Alumni, My name is Jared, and I too am an alcoholic and addict. I grew up in a divorced family living in Wichita, KS. I had my first drink when I was about 12. My grandma had let us all get drunk on Christmas. That is when I fell in love with alcohol. In high-school, I had every opportunity to succeed, but the priority was partying. I was the guy you’d call when you needed a party thrown or needed to know where a party was.  This early on path had led me into further substance abuse and tormented my life till I was 25. I, unfortunately, am n ..read more

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services “This is only the beginning.” I truly think this is something a person should remind themselves regularly after leaving a treatment program. Sure, you have just spent 30,60,90 (maybe more!) however many days of your life in a program working on yourself and learning an insane amount about your traumas/triggers/addictions etc. But the truth of the matter is that the real work won’t start until you step foot off the property and back out into the “real world”.  This may come as a surprise to some, but when I hear a client say before leaving ..read more

By: Lisa B., Transformations Alumni Coordinator Bowling has never been my thing. The smelly shoes, the greasy food, and my deep legacy of endless gutter balls. There was a time when I may not have shown up for an event that I knew I would not be good at. There was also a time when the idea of going to any type of event sober sounded more far-fetched than a strike, especially an event on St. Patrick’s Day. Yet a few weekends ago, I found myself wearing green in a bowling alley in the afternoon, sober, and having the best time ever—a bowling alley filled with pitchers of beer and people drinking ..read more

Hi family. My name is Tony and I’m definitely an addict. I am from a small, coastal town called Havelock in rural North Carolina. I am the oldest of 10 children even though I was raised as an only child by my grandparents. This as well as other factors led me to believe I had a disease in early childhood. Dis, meaning NOT, along with EASE, let me know that I truly had a disease. NOT AT EASE in my own skin. DISEASE. I come from a family of alcoholics and drug addicts so I truly believe that I was predestined to be the same. My childhood was normal by most standards. I did what kids do which was ..read more

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services In 2015 I had the opportunity to move to Nashville to open a new business. At the time I was working for a Tattoo Co. with a famous owner who is married to an even more famous singer. It was for sure what most people (me included) would call the “Dream Job”. Not only would I be working Downtown off Broadway, but I would be living about a mile away in a new, up-and-coming neighborhood known as The Gulch. I was right in the heart of it all. Everything you see on TV and hear about in the Country songs, I was there. Plus, the unofficial title of “Ba ..read more

By: Lisa B., Transformations Alumni Coordinator What does self-care mean to you? Self-care can have many different definitions. For some, it is going to the salon to get their nails done, a relaxing massage, or an exciting vacation. To others, it could be meditation, going for a run, a quiet day at home with a book, or setting boundaries with others that align with your core values. All of these examples are correct! Self-care is a very individualized thing. There is no need to overcomplicate it! It is simply a practice that helps you feel centered and be the best self you can be, but the key ..read more

By: Kyle W., Transformations Alumnus My name is Kyle Wasserman and I’m from Tulsa, Oklahoma where I spent many years starting from an early age in a cycle of spiraling drug addiction. All stemmed from craving attention and validation from places and people I had no business being around in the first place. After several incarcerations and countless attempts of treatment and finding myself in meetings around the country looking for a solution, I ended up in South Florida at Transformations Treatment Center with desperation and hopelessness I’ve never felt before. I’m so grateful for the team th ..read more

By: Lisa B., Transformations Alumni Coordinator You’re feeling anxious. Maybe you just got some difficult news, and you are pondering what the future has in store; perhaps you have a test in two hours, and your heart is racing as though you just drank a six-pack of Red Bull, or maybe you just ran into someone, which in turn, brings up your sometimes cringey past.  You call your friend, sponsor, or therapist, and they suggest that you meditate… yet you want to scream at this advice. Here you are, sitting here, anxious as a snowman on a 104-degree South Florida day, and you are being t ..read more

By: Mike Murphy, Manager of Alumni Services If you’re like most people out there, you are on some platform or another when it comes to social media. And if you’re really like most people, you have more than one platform that you utilize. I know I am guilty of poly-socializing. Nowadays, it’s not just friends sharing updates or pics of their food and/or pets. Social media has become something way more than that. It’s where people get news from, financial advice to even health advice. It’s also where a lot of people get opinions. Either from others or giving their own to strangers via their cell ..read more

By: Andy K., Transformations Alumnus Five years ago I was a complete and utter mess, unable to hold down a job, be present as a husband and father to my wife and son, and deep into a full-blown relapse with the drug that nearly did me in three decades earlier — cocaine. I was irresponsibly and unfairly draining our bank accounts with no care in the world to support my habit again, even using the insurance money from my wife’s car accident and leaving us with next to nothing by the time my bad choices landed me in the ER and ICU at the West Palm Beach VA Hospital facing liver failure and exhibi ..read more