Where recovery begins Over the course of five months in inpatient treatment, he started to stabilize mentally and physically. Until he toured New Heights, though, Braaten hadn’t planned on sober living. Living in a house with dozens of strangers, his anxiety symptoms still present, was a major compromise of his comfort zone. He’d never gone to a sober house after treatment before, and had relapsed every time, so he decided to give it a chance. “I think treatment got me to clear my mind and look at my problem,” says Braaten, “but when I got [to New Heights] was when my recovery really started.” Within the community at New Heights, Braaten built a platform of peer support and spirituality on which he bases his recovery. He was a self-described loner throughout the course of his addiction and rejected anything resembling religion or spirituality. Yet, once again, he changed course and opened up to the people around him. It seemed to help, so he continued branching out further to nearby 12- step meetings and found one where he fit in. Now Braaten runs that meeting on Thursday nights.
Growth is contagious Spirituality is settling in with Braaten, who says initially all it took was the “willingness to be open to the idea of it.” He started simple, without expectations, and positioned himself for growth - a philosophy that has caused him to flourish at New Heights and in life. And as he embarks on new opportunities outside of New Heights, Braaten recognizes a cycle of contagious self-improvement in the community where his recovery came to be. “You’re not here trying to better everybody else around you,” he says, “but that’s just what happens naturally as you’re bettering yourself.”
“When I got [to New Heights] was when my recovery really started.” -Lake Braaten
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