“There is a totally different life out there,” Candis says.
It’s a statement made with conviction, following years of struggle, relapse, and transformation.
She first came to Renascent at 21, after her addiction escalated quickly in her teens. “It got bad really fast,” she recalls. That first stay helped, and she remained abstinent for nearly a year. But eventually, she returned to using.
By 29, with arrests piling up and her life feeling even more unmanageable, Candis returned. “I was nearly 30 and couldn’t keep a job,” she says. “Something had to change.” Again, she found some stability, staying sober for just over a year before relapsing once more.
By her mid-thirties, things had reached a breaking point. Another DUI led her back to treatment for a third time. “My life was really terrible,” she says. “Drugs, alcohol – everything. I was in dangerous situations, unhealthy relationships. It was a completely different life.”
Despite everything, one thing never changed: her experience at Renascent.
“I really liked being there every time,” she says. “There was always this feeling that things were going to be okay.” The care and support she received left a lasting impression. “Being there, I felt like recovery was possible.
They make you feel like you deserve it.”
This time, something clicked. “I realized that learning about addiction and recovery isn’t enough if you don’t incorporate what you learn into your actual life. It was up to me to do the work; as they say, ‘nothing changes if nothing changes.’”
Candis returned to school upon completing treatment, ultimately earning both a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in mental health. She now works at a shelter, has a supportive partner, takes care of her health and has even run a marathon. Recovery has also allowed her to show up in new ways for her family: “I was able to help my dad get into treatment,” she says. “He’s now been sober for four years.
I couldn’t have done that if I wasn’t sober myself.”
Over five years into recovery, Candis credits Alcoholics Anonymous, peer support, and staying connected to a higher power as essential. “If something goes wrong now, I don’t feel the need to use,” she says. “And even if the thought comes up, it goes away when I go to a meeting or call someone.”
She’s both honest and encouraging in offering her wisdom to others.
“Initially, drugs and alcohol serve a purpose, but they turn on you,” she says. “Once they start destroying your life it’s hard to see another way, but there is one. Just take baby steps. Put one foot in front of the other, in the opposite direction you were going.
There’s a totally different life out there, and you deserve it, too.”
