It was a day of excitement and remembering for me. I sat outside the sober living home that Samaritan Way Recovery in Muskegon has their first phase already opened in. I was a little early. I was catching up on a couple emails, checking out social media feeds and just waiting. A knock on the window. A young man was standing there. He had no coat. He had some pretty rad tattoos. “Hey there….are you ok? Are you thinking about coming in here? Do you need help?” I explained that I was just waiting on Joe Hekkema for an interview, but he perisited. “We’ve got coffee, it’s nice and warm, there’s plenty of us in here too. Come on in when you’re ready.” It felt very much like my first day in the detox center I had to go to 23 years ago. It’s an amazing feeling to know that some things don’t change.
Was I being approached by a stranger? No, I was the stranger in this case. I was on Terrace Street right outside the Samaritan Way Sober Living House. It’s a large campus currently housing 18 men who have made the choice to take the chaos and mania out of their lives and take the leap to leave behind the substances that they have used to cope up till now. It’s the very first step in becoming who they never imagined they would be, and I speak of this from having lived it myself at one point. I got three days to be in a facility like this. At the Samaritan Way Sober Living Home, it’s a little different.
What’s the point of a sober living home? Well, it’s as simple as this. When you remove drugs or alcohol from someone, only one things needs to change. Everything. To get someone clear of what’s in their system and then send them back to the chaos and ease of access to what they are trying to leave behind, the risk of a relapse is almost assured. The safety of a secure facility, sharing the experience with others who are in the same process of life change that the person staying there is becomes a building block in more ways than one. First off…you realize you are not alone. You also realize that addiction doesn’t care about age, race or creed. Second. With “everything” changing, newly recovering people are going to quickly find out what who they thought were “friends” will not be around much anymore. What seemed like friendship was only partners in addiction and when that’s no longer there…those still addicted vacate quickly. Third…you may be able to “get out” but should you…there’s a risk. You’ve chosen the new course. Step off it? There might be another chance, it might be the last chance and by “last chance” I mean a coffin. You’ll probably stop and think if there are a few fellow recovery people around you looking for some accountability and that leads us to the final factor. Your new safety net. Your time in a sober living facility nurtures healthier relationships that you will gain true wisdom from….not hard life lessons.
The work on the remainder of the Samaritan Way Sober Living Home is underway now and if you are in need of immediate help, call. 231-246-7595. The expansion will be going in to 2026 at a fairly quick pace for both more men and across the campus a women’s area. This is a step for all of Muskegon County residents or those further out who need a reset and removal from environments that have brought chaos, danger and grief. As Joe and I spoke in the interview…. that young man….with the tatts and no coat, had it been him approaching my car in the middle of his addiction anything could have happened. I could have reacted badly. He could have been in the throws of needing a fix. But we were absolute equals…..outside of a residential recovery center….and I was right at home seeing a young man leaving a life behind he’ll never have to return to. That was a beginning to my Christmas Miracles this year.
If you or someone you love is stuck, CLICK HERE and get involved with Samaritan Way Recovery. The life you find on the other side will be more than you ever imagined possible. Trust me on this one.
