12 STEP

MAGAZINE

SUMMER 2018 I S S U E

Helping the COMMUNITY

OUR HISTORY PHIL MALONSON TELLS ALL

AFTER TREATMENT NOWWHAT

specializing in addiction recovery

CALL TODAY

317 Boston Rd Billerca, MA 01862

218-749-2877

WWW.SOBER-RECOVERY.ORG

BUILDING A NETWORK OF HOPE FOR ADDICTS TWELVE STEP ADDS BILLERICA HOUSE B ILLERICA -- For Billy, the sober house at 317 Boston Road has made all the

can apply for readmission in a week. ``We have 41 residents,'' said Don Cochran, manager of the sober house on Old Cambridge Road in Woburn, also a former nursing home. ``Seventy-five percent have jobs [and are] off welfare and Social Security. I have 15 or 20 guys with a year of sobriety. Something's working. People learn teamwork. You can't do it alone.'' Cochran, like Paul Brown, manager of the 44-bed Billerica house, and David Parkhurst, manager of the 24-bed house in Quincy, are themselves former residents of sober houses. ``At least 10 of our guys are working full-time,'' Parkhurst said. ``My win list is real good. One of my original residents, Phil, was picked out of a detox center. He went back to being a chef at a swanky restaurant in Boston. Now he's manager of a Stop & Shop and he'll be moving out in a few weeks. Another guy's working at a Jiffy Lube days and taking computer courses nights. A third resident, here most of 1998, a former crack user, is working security in a Boston hotel and running a livery business.''

Shirley, and Gardner. ``We've sent several dozen inmates from here to the sober houses,'' said Charles Kenney, coordinator of the Billerica jail's 90-day intensive drug program. ``Phil's a big plus for us. A lot of people who finish their sentences have nowhere to go. Probably 85 percent of the inmate population is here because of alcohol or other drugs.'' All sober houses have the same rules -- no drinking, no drugs, prompt payment of rent ($100 per week, including two hot meals a day), performance of chores and attendance at three Alcoholics Anonymous and one house meeting per week. Referrals are provided for counseling or jobs. ``We don't take anyone with a history of sex offenses,'' said Malonson, who lives in Burlington with his wife, Doreen, and their 3-year-old daughter, Malana. ``We try to appease the community.'' Not everyone has changed to the degree Billy has. Every week, some residents throughout the Twelve Step network have relapses, returning to alcohol or other drugs. Residents are expelled if a urine test detects controlled substances or a saliva test is positive for alcohol. Anyone expelled

locations in Woburn, Billerica, Lowell, Saugus, Salem, Quincy, and Attleboro. Along the way, houses in Medford and Leominster have been closed by Twelve Step. Malonson and his staff, all in recovery themselves, also opened a thrift shop at 135 Main St. in Woburn, staffed by house residents and community volunteers. As Malonson, 44, told 60 inmates in a drug program at the Middlesex County House of Correction in Billerica on Tuesday, ``I'm hoping it will have some effect on society.'' Many residents of sober houses are former inmates from the Middlesex and Suffolk county jails, while others are on parole from state correctional facilities in Walpole,

difference. ``Without this program, I'd be on the street,'' Billy, 21, said last week in the dining room of this former nursing home, the newest recovery residence in a fast-growing network opened by Twelve Step Education Program of New England. His face and hands are scarred from burns suffered at 15 when he lit a cigarette while sniffing gasoline. ``I was staying with my father,'' added Billy, who grew up in Burlington. ``Things weren't going right. I went to friends' houses. I was kind of lost, drinking and drugging since age 13. Phil [Malonson, Twelve Step's founder] took me to the thrift store and got me clothes. Now I have a car I'm saving money to put it on the street and I have a full-time job down the street at Cumberland Farms.'' Billy and 29 other recovering addicts share the three-story house. The former site of the Simmons Nursing Home, with peeling white paint and black shutters, it was vacant when Twelve Step rented the building in October. Malonson's network, launched in Woburn in November 1992 with a five-bed sober house on Lake Avenue, now has 250 beds in 14

>>>

~ Brown

Author: By Jerry Taylor, Globe Staff Date: 02/14/1999 Page: 1 Section: Northwest Weekly

needing medications to stabilize his manic depression. ``I'm here 40 hours a week,'' he said. ``I'm sleeping good, eating good. I do chores at the house. I go to three or four meetings a week. Sundays from 2 to 4 I help the cook prepare supper.'' According to Brown, 17 of the 30 residents at the Billerica sober house hold outside jobs and two more are attending trade school. ``I was living in shelters in Boston for five years,” Brown said. ``I used to drink behind dumpsters. I've been sober now for 18 months.” One of Brown's residents, John, 52, is the house chef. On the day a reporter visited, he cooked a lunch of macaroni, hot dogs and clam chowder, and was poised to turn five steaks into ``shepherd's pie Argentine'' for supper. ``Guys come in pretty messed up,'' he said, noting his own previous attempts at suicide. ``But they go to meetings, help each other out, and opportunities open up. My lady friend just stopped by. She works down the street. By June I'll have enough money saved to get a place of my own. I know I don't have to drink.'' Malonson said he expects a May 7 fundraiser -- a kickboxing match he and three partners in Revolution Productions

Doreen Malonson, yet another Twelve Step manager in recovery, oversees the two women's sober houses, both in Woburn, with 10 residents in all. Her attempts to groom female residents as house managers have been unsuccessful so far. ``These big locations Phil is opening, women would never stand,'' she said. ``Women do better in small groups. Women are different. I don't know if they come into recovery with more baggage than men or have been abused more than men. I've been in this business for five years, and I don't know. We've just had more success with men.'' Like other parts of the network, the thrift shop, in a basement beneath a karate studio in Woburn, is barely breaking even. But the manager, Mike Matheson, and two volunteers in recovery at the shop one day this week, were all upbeat. ``I believe in dropping my anonymity because of the stigma people attach to alcoholism and drug addiction,'' said Matheson, now living in Billerica with his girlfriend and their 2-year-old daughter. ``I'd be dead today if it weren't for Phil. He treated me like a brother, helped me get my self-respect back. I'm a fanatic about the program. We should have a sober house in every neighborhood. We have a crack house in every neighborhood.'' Allen, a 1977 graduate of Norwood High School and one of the volunteers, seemed relaxed and confident, boasting of no longer

“Without this program, I'd be on the street.” ~ Billy ``We'd like to buy one or more of the buildings we're renting,'' Malonson said. ``And we'd like to hire a nurse and a mental health counselor to rotate among our locations.'' are sponsoring at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell -- will yield a significant contribution to the Twelve Step network.

We care not only about sobriety,

BUT SAFETY AS WELL.

617.645.7062 317 boston rd. • north billerica, ma 01862

Visit us online to find out more SOBER-RECOVERY.ORG

LIFE IS WAY TOO SHORT TO SPEND ANOTHER DAY AT WAR WITH YOURSELF.

Our Sober homes, unlike some others out there, have ongoing inspections for sprinkler and fire alarm systems as well as local health department inspections. 317 Boston Rd. • North Billerica, MA 01862

Let Us Help You.

Our Histo- ry The history behind the present development of Twelve Step Education Program of New England, Inc. has come from the experiences of hundreds of thousands of recovering persons who have followed the Twelve Step principles of the Anonymous fellowships.That recovery experience practiced in sober living has been the life style of the founder and executive director, Phil Malonson. He has learned the “hard way” that the most significant factor in relapse is re-exposure to a toxic using environment. Prior to his living in recovery, Phil spent many years passing through the revolving door of de-tox programs, discharged to the street, back to a using environment, back to the de-tox, etc. Helping the COMMUNITY

He has learned the “hard way” that the most significant factor in relapse is re-exposure to a toxic using environment.

Phil created the non-profit in 1992, to establish sober living environments for men & women recovering from alcohol/ drug addiction.The underlying principle of 12 Step Education Program of N.E., Inc. is that sobriety begins by practicing a sober lifestyle. Phil knew that for many people, it is just too difficult to maintain their sobriety while they are back in the same environment where they were using alcohol and drugs. He had seen too many people learn the hard way that the most significant factor in substance abuse relapse is re-exposure to a toxic using environment.They spend years passing through the revolving door of their toxic environment, then to detox, then back to the same environment,

A caring home Now many sober years later, Phil has earned degrees in Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling as well as Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counseling. He wanted to give something back by helping other men and women gain sobriety and a new life. He opened the very first sober home for himself and 7 other men. Soon, more and more men and women started coming to Phil to ask him for a sober place to stay. He saw the need and Twelve Step Education Program of New England was born.

repeating the pattern again and again. Phil Malonson created 12 Step Education Program of N.E., Inc.’s sober living environments to help break that cycle by providing a sober and supportive atmosphere for recovery. Phil is available for speaking engagements and presentations at companies and organizations. His story is inspirational and uplifting for any audience. Just e-mail Phil with your inquiry.

TEACHING RESIDENTS TO BE RESPONSIBLE IS PART OF OUR MISSION.

617.645.7062 317 boston rd. • north billerica, ma 01862

YOUR RECOVERY STARTS Here!

317 Boston Rd North Billerica, MA 01862

617-645-7062

After treatment, then what ? The recovery process takes time - time to reverse the negative life patterns which have accumulated over time by an addiction driven life. Managing life with others in a sober living environment, learning to take responsibility again, making a commitment to sobriety , and attending 12 Step meetings regularly are the beginnings of a responsible, sobriety centered life. Reconnections to work, family and community life can then follow.

Why Twelve Step Education Program Sober Housing? We have been providing safe, clean, and sober housing for over a decade. We make sure that we get all the appropriate local occupancy permits. Our houses pass rigorous fire safety inspections for the sprinkler systems, alarms that are wired directly to the fire departments, and fire extinguishers as well as health inspections. We care not only about sobriety, but safety as well. Not all sober housing can demonstrate that. We also train our House Managers at monthly workshops on various topics. Twelve Step Education program receives no tax dollars through state or federal aid. We operate solely through fees paid and the generosity of private donors.That is why we are cost effective and make sure we get quality goods and services for our residences that represent excellent value.

The Rules Every house has to have rules so that everyone understands what is expected of them and to keep everyone safe and sober. Each Twelve Step Education Program of New England Sober Home has mandatory house meeting each week to foster a sense of community and to make sure that everyone has a chance to have input with house management.

Sobriety also brings with it new responsibilities to ourselves, our families, friends and to the other residents of our sober homes. Teaching residents to be responsible is part of our mission. Every resident is responsible for their behavior in our homes and are held accountable for their actions. This accountability is to show respect for our residents’ sobriety.

We understand how tough it can be to stay sober. Our program was developed from the experiences of hundreds of thousands of recovering persons who have followed the Twelve Step principles of various Anonymous Fellowships.

Residents come to us from many sources - some are self referred, others come from treatment facilities, detox, counseling centers, therapists, the correctional system, shelters, veterans’ programs, or the streets. One thing they all have in common - wanting to stay sober. Many of our residents literally have no where else to go in order to stay sober and still live affordably.

Every house has to have rules so that everyone understands what is expected of them and to keep everyone safe and sober.

We understand how tough it can be to stay sober.

317 BOSTON RD BILLERCA, MA 01862 • (617) 645-7062

Your future is created by what you do today not tomorrow.

Countless men and women have come

CALL US! (617) 645-7062 317 Boston Rd. North Billerica, MA 01862

through our doors from all walks of life and all situations seeking help to learn to live a healthier, sober lifestyle.

EVERY accomplishtment

starts with the decision to try.

GET HELP TODAY! (617)645-7062 317 Boston Rd. North Billerica, MA 01862

We understand how tough it can be to stay sober.

317 BOSTON RD BILLERCA, MA 01862 • (617) 645-7062

A s the photographer adjusts the lighting and rearranges a row of used furniture, Phil Malonson sits pensively in an old high-back chair, joking about current events while contemplating the rest of his busy day and mulling over new thoughts as they rush into his consciousness. Ideas are very important to the survival of Malonson and the people in his care. For more than five years, Malonson, a Woburn native and recovered drug addict, has provided sanctuary to those who are like the man he once was- down, out, and no place to go but up. Through his simple ideas, the 43- year old Malonson, founder and executive director of the Twelve Step Education Program of New England, manages to keep his 14 sober homes open and filled to capacity. The basement of the karate school on Main Street is now home to one of his brilliant

ideas come fruition. For years, people have given Malonson used furniture, appliances and other household items for his facilities. He collected so much that the goods began overflowing his tiny garage. It was then he struck upon the idea of opening this thrift shop to raise money some of his more indigent clients. ‘My main goal is to provide a bed for someone who needs assistance, who is indigent and willing to stay clean and sober, “ says Malonson, as he surveys the store that looks like a miniature Building 19- only cleaner. “It’s just a crazy idea I had on my way to work one morning.” Malonson started planning the thrift shop nearly a year ago, shortly after he bought the old Glendale Nursing Home on the West Side, reopening it as a

~ Malonson

residential home for recovering addicts. After finding the right location at 135 Main St., he began moving in the truckloads of used and refurbished goods. The rows of used couches and chairs are surrounded by lamps, paintings, old home goods, tables of all sizes, stoves, washers and dryers, knick knacks, costume jewelry, books, records, mirrors, clothes, and yard equipment. Although some of the items are out of style, and likely not to be in vogue again, everything is on sale is clean, functional and will serve any prospective buyer well, Malonson said. For a while, the preparation for the thrift shop became a bit of a job to the people Malonson helps. Those helping him with the store say it’s not unusual for Malonson, with a truck full of guys on their way to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, to jam on the breaks to gather up some used furniture sitting on the side of the road for the trash collector. >>>

By Lawrence M. Walsh - Correspondent WOBURN ADVOCATE Thursday, March 19, 1998

“My main goal is to provide a bed for someone who needs assistance, who is indigent and willing to stay clean

“He’s famous for it,” said Michael Matherson, a resident of one of the sober homes. “We’d joke about not being able to throw some of this stuff out because Phil will just bring it back.” Besides staying sober, Malonson requires all of his residents to hold a job, giving them responsibility and a means to support themselves. He drew upon the unemployed in his home to renovate the facility and arrange the merchandise. “I will give someone a week or two rent if they work down here,” he explains. “With their help, I was able to put in a new ceiling and get everything sorted.” He has no illusions of this tiny venture turning big profits for his programs. As it stands, he projects it will take the income derived from the two to three beds to pay for the ahop’s overhead. If the shop eventually makes enough to pay for itself and support two to three beds, Malonson says he’ll be happy. “For $90 a week, we provide a bed, two hot and one cold meal a day, electricity, phone and cable. This could defray at least some of the costs,” Malonson said.

The thrift shop is only one of Malonson’s current ventures. After much contention with neighbors and town officials in Saugus, he recently won approval to open 18-bed facility in a defunct nursing home. After this interview last Saturday, he opened a five-bed sober apartment for women in Medford and another small home in Salem. By March 1, he will have new homes open in Fitchburg, Lawrence, Billerica and Lowell, bringing his total capacity to more than 200 beds. “It’s worthwhile because there is such a need for it, as seen by how fast we are growing,” Malsonson said. “I’m taking people out of toxic environments and giving someplace liveable.” “You can go into any community and find a need for these houses,” said Malonson, with a bit of melancholy in his voice.

and sober.” ~ Malonson

Twelve Step Education Program continually strives to continue to be the best, most effective,

and safest sober housing in New England today. 317 BOSTON RD. • NORTH BILLERICA, MA 01862 617.645.7062 CONTACT US TODAY

is it time to change your life?

We understand how tough it can be to stay sober. Our programwas developed from the experiences of hundreds of thousands of recovering persons who have followed the Twelve Step principles of various Anonymous Fellowships.

We have been in the business of providing sober housing for men and women for over 12 years.

317 Boston Rd, North Billerica, MA 01862

Our program was developed from the experiences of hundreds of thousands of recovering persons who have followed the Twelve Step principles of various Anonymous Fellowships.

317 Boston Rd• North BILLERICA, MA 01862 | 617.645.7062

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