- Alcohol
- Drugs
Katie is a 25 year old from Boise, Idaho. She has worked in the recovery field for four years. When she originally applied for her job, she was not thinking about helping others achieve sobriety. She was misled by the name of the recovery center at first and thought she was applying at a law firm. She started to work there after college, saw the amazing things that can happen to people in recovery and changed her major to addiction studies. She felt that this was absolutely her path in life.
She supports people in recovery because she recognizes that addiction is a disease. Just like cancer, addiction picks anyone. Addiction does not care about your education or gender, and Katie believes that everybody deserves a second chance in life.
“I love to see people come full circle, get their life back and all the great things that life has to offer,” she says. She has never had a problem with addiction herself, but she comes from a family that struggles with addiction. When she was growing up, some family members owned a bar, and alcoholism was prevalent around her. She thought this was normal, but now she realizes it was not.
During our interview I asked Katie what advice she would give to somebody who is considering seeking help. She answered, “You can have everything back. It may not be easy at first, and there may be some serious struggles, but it’s going to be the best decision you have ever made.” I asked her if she has helped her own family, and she mentioned that the person has to want it. We can lead a horse to water, but he has to choose to drink. We can only help make him thirsty.
Today she works with clients on a daily basis, attends several conferences throughout the year and enjoys direct contact with people seeking help.