VASAP Client Completion Letters & Reflections
Nick’s letter to Himself after VASAP Treatment
Dear Nick, I know you are uncertain in what direction to go with your career but don’t lose yourself. Things might seem like you are lost right now but that is just part of your journey. You know the things that you should and shouldn’t be doing to stay on the right path. Don’t let your friends sway you away from doing the right things.Follow your gut and continue making the right choices. Just because your friends are hanging out drinking and partying doesn’t mean that you have to. You aren’t missing out on anything but a hangover. If you know that you are going to be drinking, then you should Uber to and from the place and just leave your truck at home. Just because you think you will be fine to drive doesn’t mean that you are actually fine to drive. I realize that drinking leads to bad decisions and that if you leave your truck at home to begin with there will no other option than to call an Uber. Drinking in moderation is fine, but there is a fine line. Most people don’t even realize that their consumption of alcohol can classify them as an alcoholic or heavy drinker just because our society normalizes drinking so much. Having one or two drinks is fine but don’t go overboard. Realize when you drink at home most people pour themselves double the standard pour, so even though you drank two drinks, you really drank four. Ultimately be safe, don’t put yourself in bad situations, and don’t drink just because you are bored and there is “nothing else to do.” Find a good movie, clean the house, and get a good night rest so you are refreshed and ready to go to the gym in the morning. Sincerely, Sober Nick
Dear Alcohol
Dear Alcohol, I would like to start off by saying thank you for all the so called “fun” times. I have had more than enough of you in my life and I am ready to move on. You lied and deceive me for the last time. All those days and nights I thought we were having fun, you were actually slowly destroying me. I have never been so depressed as I have with you. Now that you are out of my life. I can feel happy again and feel like myself. You have slowed me down mentally and physically. You turned me into someone who I didn’t even know or recognize and I will never forget it. Nor will I ever forgive you. I am taking my life back. Goodbye for good -Charles
Thanks you God for having me pulled over and arrested for a DUI
Thanks you God for having me pulled over and arrested for a DUI. The situation could have been more ugly. Since no one or myself got hurt and there was no property damage. You saved me from serious consequences. Yes, I know I've added this passage, every day, for the past month, but it is very important to never forget what may have been. You know I spent 10 days in jail, 6 of them sleeping on the floor. This experience was very eye opening. There were 30 men in my block. 10 men were in for DUI. What was interesting quite a few were bragging about what the did to get there. One cellmate was in terrible trouble. I don't think he told me the whole story. He was in a care crash and hurt 2 people, one was pregnant. He said, no one got terrible hurt. As you know he got a sentence of 10 years. He is very sorry. He thinks about it all the time. What is very sad is a lot of the inmates like being there. No one said this but it was my observation. 3 meals, clothes and a warm place to sleep. The place was organized, structured and consistent. Inmates told me stories of their lives (nothing else to talk about). None of these 3 items was part of their lives. Most inmates lived in a very dysfunctional home. There were generations of alcoholics in their families. Some of these inmates bragged about the damage they caused while intoxicated. They had not one bit of remorse. That thinking is so foreign to me. I know what I don't want to go through again. The punishment handed to me was required by law. It didn't matter if you were a good citizen your whole life. Even the judge didn't have the power to reduce the sentence. -Stan
Poem to Myself
To myself January 10th, 2023, it’s never okay to drink and drive even it’s a sip, even if you’re right down the street. Worrying about the cost of an Uber is not worth, the amount of money, stress, and hardship you must go through with the charge. You pay the ULTIMATE price of drinking and driving. Your record, your life, your paychecks, your everything changes in one minute. ALWAYS get an Uber. The ONLY thing you gain out of drinking and driving and driving is the lesson learned of not to do it in the first place. This experience has taken such a huge toll on my mental and physical health to the point that I have no desire to drink alcohol again. You lose a part of yourself going through the aftermath of a DUI, but come out more mindful and aware of thinking about every decision you make moving forward. I have shed the skin of the past me in 2023 and will continue to bloom into the new me in 2024 and years beyond. What breaks you, makes you -Hanley
Life Brings Challenges
I know that sometimes life brings challenges that we will never understand or know what's the best choice for ourselves. So you find yourself in situations or moments where you become depressed, stressed, and frustrated and it leads you to alcohol. Alcohol is your worst choice and it will lead you down a path of destruction that causes so many negative outcomes that slows down your recovery back to success. You are a very smart and dedicated man that has a lot of people and kids looking for you to be the leader and provider for their life of growth. In this moment of uncertain decisions take the time to really appreciate the moment of having time to make the right decision for GOD to let his plan work instead of letting your reality dictate your response. You will become the man everyone knows you are but as usual stay strong and let time heal you and open your progress. -T.McBride
Fast Forward One Day At A Time
You would have thought that after minor liver damage, multiple hospital detox visits, a nearly fatal car crash that ended up in a helicopter, and 60 successful days in treatment at a recovery center, that would’ve been enough to set you on a straight path. But it wasn’t. It was easy as one simple trigger. Seeing someone you loved after they had been drinking. You were going to get upset because they were drunk and you were sober. That moment you told yourself you could “just have a drink” again — it changed everything. You thought it would numb the pain, ease the weight of life drowning and suffocating you. You missed your son deeply. You knew in your heart that you were a good father. But between the heartbreak of not seeing him, the manipulation and narcissistic traits you faced from your ex-wife, and the unbearable grief of losing your mother and grandmother within a month of each other… you turned back to alcohol. Your mother’s death crushed you — but you kept drinking. Almost exactly one year after your first DUI, you were convicted for the third time. You woke up in jail, having completely detoxed, and for a moment you forgot your mother had even passed. You hallucinated. You dreamed vividly. And in those dreams, you saw her — not just once, but multiple times — as if she’d come back to save you from the grip of alcohol. 177 days in jail. The longest, hardest days of your life. But even after all that… you were still legally allowed to drink. You considered it. You sat with that thought. But deep down, something shifted. You started to listen — to your heart, to your son, Clayton, and maybe even to your mom’s voice from the other side. You began to realize that your life, your health, your son’s future — they all mattered more than the temporary escape of a drink. You made a decision. You chose to stay sober, one day at a time. Starting VASAP was a turning point. That’s where you found Nairobi. Out of more than ten numbers you could’ve called, you chose that one — and it led you to people who have been nothing but a blessing. Their guidance, their confidence in you, the courage and tools they gave you — all of it left a mark on your journey. Today, you don’t live in shame. You don’t hide in regret. You use your story to inspire. You show others what’s possible — that life does get better, that time does pass, and that healing does come, one day at a time. You made it. You're still making it. Keep going. With love and pride, M Ellis
Self Awarenes
During the Fall of 2023 I received my 2nd DUI and decided to attend Nairobi Integrated Services to better myself and to become more self aware about alcohol and what it does to the body. Their alcohol treatment classes has been an eye-opening experience for me. Before I started, I thought the main point would simply be to learn why drinking too much is bad. What I discovered, however, is that the classes are about much more than alcohol itself. During these classes I learned not only how to better myself, but to make better decisions, and how to build healthier patterns for the future. Through this experience, I have gained valuable knowledge about addiction, coping strategies, and the steps I can take to live a healthier and more fulfilling life. The lessons I learned in class not only helped me understand how alcohol effects the body but also gave me the tools I need to maintain sobriety and make better choices in life. V Brown
Kyle is accountable.
Abandoning old lifestyles Completing the steps Obstacles overcome Un anxious of change Nobody can do this for me Taking action Adapting new thoughts Being responsible Inviting change Listening to advice Investing in myself Trying new things Yes, I can
