Kyle Fleming is an alumnus of Serenity Springs Recovery Center and has about two-and-a-half years of sobriety. A native of New Jersey, consequences weren’t enough to keep Kyle sober, but they were instrumental in getting him the help he needed.
“I had brief periods of sobriety prior to coming to Serenity Springs. What brought me to treatment again, because it wasn’t my first time, was an arrest with charges that scared me enough to go to treatment,” Kyle explains, detailing a road that many travel en route to treatment facilities. In speaking about his period of active drug addiction and alcoholism, Kyle reflects, “Those days, those years, were not happy. There was no purpose; there was no happiness or consistency in my life. I often thought that this couldn’t be what life was supposed to be like. I was driven by doing whatever I had to in order to continue living the way that I was. Unfortunately, that meant hurting people, stealing from people, dishonesty at work, stealing from jobs and lying to doctors. The way that I was brought up came second to getting more of whatever drugs.”
Kyle admits, “I’m a user of prescription drugs and alcohol. I also used oxys [OxyContin] and roxys [Roxicet], pretty much whatever you had.”
While Kyle’s past attempts at recovery through treatment failed him, he was presented with a different, viable solution at Serenity Springs. Kyle recounts, “Serenity Springs taught me to have a routine in my life with productive and beneficial things. Also, I was introduced to prayer and meditation at Serenity, as well as a process to recount the day. Serenity taught me what it means to be helpful and of service to somebody because when you’re there, you’re encouraged to be helpful to people who are newer than you. If I’ve been there two days and I know what it feels like to be there on day one, I can share my experience with that.” He goes on to discuss how his experience at Serenity Springs differed from other recovery centers. “At Serenity, we took a look at what the real problem was. The problem isn’t drugs and alcohol. The problem is me when I’m sober,” he clarifies. Kyle continues, “At the other treatment centers I have been to, they tried to teach me how to deal with the feelings of getting high. Serenity introduced me to a way of life where those feelings didn’t exist. They helped me to identify what the problem is, what my nature is, and then take constructive action towards changing the way that I seek relief from life.”
Kyle allowed himself to become receptive to the ideas he would be introduced to at Serenity Springs because, “At that point, I was out of options. They stressed to me that I only needed to be open-minded, willing, and honest. But early on, a lot of what I have learned didn’t make sense. It’s okay to be afraid and uncomfortable. I found that to the extent that I allowed people and new ideas into my life, to be open with them, that is usually in correlation with how happy and peaceful I am.”
For Kyle, Serenity Springs served as an indispensable introduction to a new way of living that absolutely works and he has been gifted a new perspective on what life means and his purpose in it. “I understand that without recovery all other things in my life are subject to being thrown away. That means that recovery comes first. Everything good in my life is contingent on me staying sober and involved in recovery.”
Kyle talks about the recovery and service that he engages in. “Currently, I am involved with recovery-related activities including meeting with men who are also in recovery. As for service, on a weekly basis, I go to another treatment center and a behavioral health center in a hospital to talk with the patients about my experience in recovery.”
Because of the way of living Kyle has been shown and the action he takes to align himself with that, he enjoys many blessings. “My life is completely different. The notion that my life has no purpose or direction no longer exists. I no longer feel hopeless or stuck.”
Listening to Kyle speak, it is apparent how grateful Kyle is for Serenity Springs and what he was shown there. “I have recommended Serenity to others in the past because for myself, I was introduced to people that I call friends and family today who I would stop anything I had going on to help them if they needed it and I think they’d do the same for me. Serenity introduced me to a way of living that has allowed me to be happy.”
If you or somebody you love is struggling with alcoholism or addiction, please contact Serenity Springs immediately.
To read more about other Serenity Springs success stories, check out the story of past featured alumni Joey Mazzo
