I transitioned from residential treatment to Primary Purpose in June 2005. I had been living at home all my life and found myself alone and no place to go because my family wasn’t allowing me to move back home due to my behavior and drug use and had the sober living provided the environment to help this transition. I chose this house after looking at a few others because of the friendly, inviting, safe, and warm environment when I walked in. I resided there for almost 2 years during which I was always provided a safe and structured environment, which I needed. Rhonda Caughey, who manages the house, became the go to person for my sobriety as well as my personal issues. As I was transition with no work and financial assistance both Rhonda and Mary Grayson assisted me with finding a job where I’m currently still employed and have worked out like many other things that individuals at the house assisted me with. The home and people involved (Mary, Rhonda, Beverly) in the care of its residence have saved my life through many times in both sobriety and other personal issues. These experiences have been beneficial to my life and will continue to be in the future. I have since moved from Primary Purpose and due to the great opportunity to live in such a great environment which I took full advantage of to save myself, I was able to move back home with my parents and will be able to move from there to a place of my own comfortably. I have a great structure that I carry with me to new home life, a new way of managing things and still go back every once in awhile for the support that was given to me. Thank you guys for a great start to a new life.
- patricia
As a 13 year old runaway roaming the streets of hollywood i was bound to become an addict, drugs were everywhere. Who wouldve known 2 years later i wouldve become so strung up on heroin and crystal, losing 30 pounds with no food, no money, no family, living with people i randomly met on the streets. I was blessed the day that i collapsed and woke up in a hospital..I guess my body couldnt take it anymore. I walked myself into a treatment facility followed by a sober living with 12 other females. I loved coming home every day after work to a bunch of girls just like me. There was always someone around. The best part of it was that they became my support group. Being only 19 yrs. Old at the time it also showed me alot of responsibility with little things like paying rent and cleaning up after myself. It was definately what i needed to transition my self back to life. I am now 21 yrs. Old with 2 yrs. Clean and i am so grateful for the life i live today.
I’ve been living at primary purpose just about 2 years i have learned so much. How to be a friend to others be responsible and be helpful and hopefull to anyone new who comes in the house .March 18th i will have 3 years clean living at pmp taught me to trust again today i can say i have real friends we all stick together ,we help eachother out ,in good and bad times .I know i will leave pmp some day and the memories and lessons i’ve learned i will carry with me forever.
-Veronica
Primary Purpose was a good sober living for the 4 months that I was there. I got alot out of it. I liked the fact that it was a clean house and nobody was using period. I f I had to go back to a sober living that would be the first place I would go.
- D.D
Primary Purpose was convenient to me because I worked across the street. I went straight from treatment to Primary purpose 2 years ago.I was not especially fond of the manager but the guys in the house were very supportive. I learned a lot about myself being in sober living. I do sometimes wish I could have stayed longer. The best thing at the time was Mary the director, would ensure that we had no using going on in the house and made sure that we were safe.
-JG
Primary Purpose has allowed me the opportunity to work my way back into society when I had no money in my pockets. I had just gotten out of jail when I first was introduced to Primary Purpose & I wanted something different from life besides the same old ways… not to mention a lot of people who also wanted to see me do well in life. I enjoy the experience of living in Primary Purpose with the people who have lived there before & who live there now. I am very grateful to Primary Purpose & the wonderful management who have made the house the way it is now….Peaceful.
-Linda
Primary Purpose gave me an understanding of what recovery is all about, simultaneously opening up my mind to the sound of a new language of the heart; it took me from being emotionally crippled to learning how to feel, and will always remain my center for the new way of life I found.
Primary Purpose At Work
When I arrived at Primary Purpose 2 I envisioned a brick building with cold floors and 11 guys to a room.. I was so pleased to find a beautiful we’ll lived in house. I was so blessed to find a home to begin my recovery in the real world. I found that the house manager was very kind and helping.
I liked the rules of living in a sober living house. I was a little scared of reentering society.
The fellow residents quickly gave me advice that would help me except what I had to do.
Mary Grayson came into my life when she coached me on how things would work around here.
She is tuff at times because she knows how we can become lazy in returning to a normal life.
She is loving at the same time. Once I got to know Mary better I understood why she cares
so much. She does not want to see any of us return to active addiction.
Later on I met Beverly and her husband. They have created a safe place for us to set up a plan to
becoming normal again. Some residents would come in and could not deal with living in such
a clean and well established home. I fell in love with the place in the first three days.
I feel a safe energy within the house. It reminds me how lucky I am to of made it this far.
If there are any addicts who want there recovery to be taken seriously, I recommend
coming to live in a house like this. Sometimes we hear what we don’t want to hear.
I hold my clean time very precious to me and I would not have it any other way.
Thanks a bunch guys.
-Gizmo
This Little House in the Valley
In April 2006 I entered this little house in the valley. I was scared and afraid about what I was about to experience. I was sober about 35 days. I have never lived with 13 guys and the hard about that was that they were sober. I wasn’t sure that I would fit in since I really never fit in anywhere. But I knew that this was where I needed to be. While I was in here I found that I wasn’t alone anymore. There were men just like me staring over and finding hope in a new fearless life.
My manager Danny was the first person I really connected too. Even though we had different paths that brought us here, he treated me like a friend and more like a brother. He showed me different ways to be happy again. He brought light to where there was darkness inside. I couldn’t believe that someone wanted to be around me after all the pain I caused to people. I AM and always will be grateful to him for that as long as live. I relapsed once while I was here and Mary, Beverly and Danny gave me a second chance. I was in shocked that they cared to bring me back into this house after what I did. But I realized that people are wiling to give you a second chance. This house has taught me that its ok and you need to focus on a better life. I left the house after 3 months and started to drift back to my old ways. I called Danny one night and said I need your help. He didn’t even ask what for, he said come back my brother and WE WILL HELP YOU. WOW what a real man to say “WE will help you”. That said a lot about Danny! So I came back again and have finally passed 90 days sober mark for the first time. I have never been 90 days sober in a row in over 20 years. I owe that to my god, my sponsor, Danny and the men in this house. You see this time I didn’t run my own program. I finally listened to what great men like Danny told me on how to stay sober.
Today I feel beautiful and blessed for everything God has seen fit to give me.
I feel like the man I always wanted to be! Danny has always helped believe in that! He gives me hope and inspiration to be a better man. He gives me strength and courage to walk shoulder to shoulder with him as an alcoholic. He teaches me to talk about things that bottled up in my crazy mind because today I don’t have live that that. Man, he has helped me grow so, so, much in this beautiful little house in the valley.
It’s this simple, I could have picked any sober house in the valley but God picked this one for me and the reason was to bring people like Danny into my life! I am so grateful to have him in the rest of my life!
- Michael “A Solider from the Little House in the Valley”
