“This Recovery Life”
you write your story and we’ll amplify it!
these are written by our readers

In YOUR own words!
Recovery doesn’t just equal anonymous these days, shining a light on what freedom from addiction means to you helps others

Amy Alexander – Brunswick, Maine
Having left her foster family at age 14, Amy went through more than 8 rehabs while dealing with addiction and substance abuse. She shares her struggle through addiction, rehabilitation, losing her son and her life and finally achieving full recovery with methadone...

Eleanor Trask – Biddeford, Maine
My lifestyle during active use was very dark. There were no limits as to what I would do to obtain my next high. I had used every substance in any manner that I could. I was a human garbage disposal. I was incapable of feeling comfortable in my own skin. As the years...

Mike Ouellette from Sanford Maine
Mike Ouellette says the lowest point of his life was November 14, 2014. He had been struggling for a long time. He had lost his parents to cancer, and a sibling had also been diagnosed with cancer. Mike had moved from his northern Maine hometown to York County, to...

Louis Grassi
Hi. I’m 32 and have lived in Maine all my life. I’m in recovery, and I’m proud of that. I had a wonderful childhood – my parents were generous and very loving. They took us to church every weekend, and my siblings and I certainly were well fed – growing up in an...

Sarah Siegel
I grew up on a tiny island called Cliff, off the coast of Portland in Casco Bay. A great deal of my childhood was steeped in the magnificent beauty that Maine’s wild places offer. I enjoyed nature, fishing and playing with my beloved cat, Lady. I started drinking...

Elaine Lilley
What? Who said that? As I prepared to go out for an evening of dinner and drinks, I heard it. Soft and subtle, but not my own. You know that voice that warns you to not go down that street or not to eat that fish because it is not fresh? Yeah, that one. It wasn’t a...

Imagine
IMAGINE: This morning you noticed that the sun is shining. It’s cold, sure, but the snow-covered landscape is hushed and lovely. Truly, why would anyone want to live anywhere but Maine? Your roommate has made coffee. You’ll be leaving for a community meeting in an...