Hear from Monk, a beloved alumnus of Avenues Recovery Center. Monk passed away, joyful and sober, on December 2, 2023. Although Monk is no longer with us, his message and memory continue to warm and inspire those who were privileged to know him.
I came in a broken man; it was either come or die. I chose to live. After staying here with an open mind, and working the program, it helped me. I came in with no self-love. I came out with self-love, confidence, and ego.
Hi, I'm Monk. I'm an alumnus of Avenues at Concord, New Hampshire.
I was broken. I was clueless, scared, frightened. I basically had no friends when I came here. So I thought, what am I gonna do? How am I gonna do this? Am I gonna be alone? After meeting the people, everybody was so nice. We all had our own problems, but as a community, we got to speak to each other, help each other, work each other's problems out.
And finally, we just, I mean, I've made so many friends here that it's incredible. These are friends for life. That's the best part of it. It's a bond, a bond like I've never had, really. I am not what I was. Totally changed man! I haven't been happy in 50 years, I'll tell ya. Being happy, happy once again - that's the best. Walking around, being able to smile and mean it. Not faking it. Not trying to put up a facade.
It's like, no, it's all real now. It's great. I would definitely encourage people to come here. If you're extremely serious about changing your life, being happy once again, this is the place to go. Coming to Avenues is probably the best thing I've ever done in my life. I found out finally that I had a purpose in life and I was here to fulfill that purpose.
My name is Monk. I have found my way home, and you can find your way home too.