GREAT FALLS — A group called The Sober Life hosted an event at Solid Rock Bible Church on Tuesday where four former alcohol and drug addicts shared their stories of recovery.
The Sober Life is an organization in Great Falls that helps recovering addicts meet new people with similar problems and helps them feel like a part of the community.
Through community events and activities, the organization strives to make people feel like they are not alone, claiming that they are a “We Program.”
“The whole purpose behind ‘we’ is that the folks that are actually putting on the events and activities, they are the same people that are receiving the help,” said Alliance For Youth development director Thomas Risberg. “The idea of this is it’s a reciprocal, ongoing, mutually beneficial relationship where it’s like ‘I do this stuff, because I need to stay sober. We need folks to help. It’s not like we’re just trying to bring them in, they are the backbone of the organization. When we say ‘we’, the people in recovery, the people that have been through addiction and alcoholism, they are the organization, they’re the leadership, they determine the direction.”
Alliance For Youth has fostered The Sober Life since it was created, and they recently opened a Youth Resource Center in Victory Church.
The Sober Life member Calvin Gone III says that the most beneficial part of the organization for him is the support.
“It helps me by knowing that I’m not alone and that there’s a lot of other people that are dealing with the addiction and alcoholism that I dealt with,” said Gone. “It just gives you that sense of belonging that we can do this together and we don’t have to forge ahead on our own and when we get stuck or need someone to pick us up, we have our friends that are on the same journey that will come by our side and lift us up.”
There are several upcoming events that are either hosted by or including The Sober Life Organization.
- The Harvest Festival – October 27th at The Kings Arena
- Flag Football – October 29th at Kiwanis Park
- Trivia Night – November 2nd at Church of the Incarnation
- Cookie Decorating Party – December 7th at Church of the Incarnation
There is more information on all The Sober Life’s events on their Facebook Page, facebook.com/TheSoberLife406.
Both Gone and Joseph Ramirez, another participant in the organization, sang the praises of The Sober Life, saying that it helped them get to where they are now, and helped them escape the feeling of being alone.
“If I can do it, they can do it,” Ramirez said with a smile. “I come from a background that’s pretty crazy, but definitely making the right choices and planting that seed. I chose to do that today, to speak to them, to give back.”
