Respite Center and ongoing care help young man turn life around

October 11, 2024  0  62   

At the urging of his mother, who is also in recovery, 27-year-old Justin Allen checked himself into CMC’s Respite Center in June 2023, determined once and for all to stop using the substances that had dominated the previous 12 years of his life.

“My life was completely downhill, worse than it had ever been,” Justin says now. “I was living on the streets, doing drugs I never thought I would do. I was tired of putting a needle in my arm.”

The decision to enter the Respite Center’s two-week program has proven to be the catalyst for Justin’s ongoing recovery. When Justin told his story in December 2023, he had been clean for more than five months and sounded resolved to permanently put his substance use behind him.

“The Respite Center took really good care of me,” he says. “They give you everything you need to be comfortable.”

Citing the care he received from Case Manager Patricia Ayala, Justin adds, “She took care of me when I was physically sick. The first or second night I had to go to the hospital. She was there. She wasn’t just in the background. She came in the room and made sure I was in the room, checked to see if I needed anything.”

After two weeks in the Respite Center, Justin moved into the San Joaquin Recovery House in French Camp, where he remained for 74 days. Currently, the Stockton native lives in rental housing provided by Lodi’s Gravity Church. Justin has become a devoted member of the congregation.

He also appreciates the care he receives at CMC’s Waterloo Recovery Center from his dedicated team: Social Worker/Clinical Supervisor Angie Main, Substance Use Counselor Ronnie Gallardo, Social Worker/Case Manager Krystal Day, and Nurse Practitioner Louis Herzog.

Angie says she began working with Justin in 2019.

“In the beginning, there was a lot of relapse,” she says. “The turnaround really came once he came through the Respite Center and he had more of a structured environment. That really made a big difference. It’s nice to see somebody at that age be able to turn their life around. He still has a lot of opportunity to achieve the goals he sets out for himself.”

Justin says his mother cites her own recovery and advises him, “It’s not going to be easy all the time, but keep doing what you’re doing and tell me if you need anything.”

He adds, “She’s proud of me and happy about what I’m doing. I’m really proud of myself.”