How the Day One program helped Michelle regain her self-worth and gave her the tools to define her future

Raised in a happy childhood home that shifted into a broken home, Michelle slipped into the shadows of drug and alcohol use; now at 29, she stands as a testament of resilience and recovery. Michelle’s journey began at 16 years old when her life began to spiral out of control. Today, her story is one of personal transformation, courage, perseverance, and the life-changing impact of hard work with the support of Day One at Oakland Family Services.

Michelle’s descent into drug and alcohol use started with acts of teenage rebellion, prompted by her father’s expectations of perfection, her parents’ divorce and her mother’s own alcohol use. Michelle began to rebel by experimenting with alcohol, cigarettes, Adderall, Xanax and marijuana.

As time went on, Michelle’s substance use controlled her life, leading her to more potent drugs like cocaine and heroin. She struggled financially to feed her habits. “I would blow hundreds of dollars a month. It was like I was working for drugs,” she recalls.

Things took a turn for the worse after Michelle’s first DUI arrest in 2016. She violated her probation and spent three months in jail. During this time, her relationship with her father became strained and her mother left town, selling her childhood home. This left her feeling alone and abandoned.

After enduring several more years of drug abuse and reckless alcohol consumption, a pivotal moment in Michelle’s life came when she watched a friend desperately trying to find a viable vein for her next fleeting heroin high. This agonizing sight made Michelle realize, “That’s going to be me if I don’t stop.” Michelle stopped using opioids but still struggled with stimulants and alcohol.

At 27, Michelle’s habits culminated in a second DUI — a wake-up call that ignited her will to change entirely. That is when Michelle turned to Day One at Oakland Family Services. Day One is a mental health and substance use counseling program offering caring, confidential, researchbased therapy for people of all ages for anxiety, depression, family trauma, and drug and alcohol addiction. Day One also offers the Project Recovery Intensive Services for Mothers (PRISM) program, which provides pregnant women and mothers with one-on-one and group therapy, as well as skill-building sessions, and transportation and childcare, when needed.

At Day One, Michelle discovered a sanctuary for healing. Here, her therapists Jen and Lisa became the linchpins in her journey toward recovery.

Jen’s empathetic demeanor offered Michelle an environment free from judgment, a place where her past did not define her. “I’ve had therapists that were like, ‘Oh my God, you did heroin?!’ Where Jen was just like, ‘Yep, OK.’ For me to connect to someone and not feel like I’m an outcast, that’s been so big for me.”

Michelle likes how her services are broken up, “Jen helps me with my day-to-day thoughts and needs and I take something productive from each session. Jen is like my inner conscience, but I see her in person. She has really helped me talk through some deep issues which were a big part of the reason I used.”

Meanwhile, Lisa’s expertise in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy helped untangle the web of past traumas that had a hand in fueling Michelle’s habits. Now realizing her self-worth, Michelle has learned to recognize and sever the toxic patterns that she had held onto for so long.

Today, Michelle’s life is a stark contrast to her past. Michelle is now two years sober. She has secured a steady job where she has been consistently advancing. Alongside her professional growth, Michelle has also established a stable and loving relationship. Michelle has also reconnected and rebuilt her relationship with her father.

Michelle’s Day One experience highlights the importance of supportive, non-judgmental therapy in achieving a healthy life. Her story serves as one of hope, demonstrating that change is possible and that the journey toward recovery, though challenging, is incredibly rewarding.

For more information regarding Oakland Family Services’ Day One program, please click HERE