A Walk Through Those Doors

Nicko | Graduated May 2021

Hello everyone and thank you for giving me a chance to tell my story!

New Freedom opened its doors to me February 5th, 2021. I did close to seven years in prison and had struggled with addiction since I was a teenager. I started using meth when I was thirteen. In my addiction life was hopeless, I had bouts of depression and I believed using meth was something I was going to do until the day I died. Today, I am going to tell you about how I was introduced to the New Freedom Project, my path of recovery, and what keeps me waking up each and every day with a sense of purpose.

There was a man on the yard who knew about New Freedom and would help people get in contact with an NFP mentor. He first told me about the program and then he helped me start corresponding. I started sharing letters back and forth with my mentor and then he started sending me more information about New Freedom. The more I learned about New Freedom the more I knew it was the place I needed to be. It all sounded too good to be true. It was better than going to a half-way house, having to find a job right away and start paying bills.

On the night of November 27th, 2018, I asked God to take away my obsession with substance abuse.

That day I put faith in a power greater than myself. Faith is what I reciprocated to a program that set me up with everything I needed and more. New freedom picked me up the day I got released from prison. I was overwhelmed with joy and thankful to be given an opportunity to get my life back in order. Working out was a big part of my life in prison.

The fitness center and trainers at New Freedom became a part of my daily routine for the next 90 days. I woke up almost every morning between 5 & 6 A.M. to volunteer. I would help setup for physical training provided by the staff. I showed up to every group, attended the Peer Support class and got certified as a Peer Support Specialist. I went above and beyond what was expected of me because I wasn’t going to fail.

“It has been two years since I first walked through those doors at New Freedom. Since then, I have made a lot of mistakes. I have lost people I love. I have helped bring a new life into this world. Now I have a legion of support around me that I can call on when I am in need. New Freedom provided me with a community I didn’t know existed.”

I graduated from New Freedom May 4th, and started working as a Peer Support Specialist/House Manager the following Monday.

A character defect I have struggled with in the past is not following through with the things I set out to do. Finishing the program at New Freedom boosted my confidence and showed me I could finish what I started. I wanted how I treat others to become a strength of mine because that reflects who I am inside. I wanted to take ownership. I have by no means been a saint since I started this path of recovery. The coping skills I learned in those 90 days help me deal with situations that would have triggered me in the past.

It has been two years since I first walked through those doors at New Freedom.

Since then, I have made a lot of mistakes. I have lost people I love. I have helped bring a new life into this world. Now I have a legion of support around me that I can call on when I am in need. New Freedom provided me with a community I didn’t know existed. They are important to me because they believed in me when others did not. All this was possible because I had the courage to walk through those doors. To admit that I needed help. Now I get to pick people up from prison and chauffeur them to the same opportunity I was given when I got out. It is not always easy to do the right thing. Doing the right thing makes you strong, builds character, it forces you to make decisions based upon your beliefs and not on what other people think. I pray this finds you in good spirits and is optimistic for your future.