Jose

Hi, my name is Jose and I am a recovering addict.” I went through many years of denial, not wanting to admit, or even say that line out loud. But, as I sat around a bunch of open and honest people who had been in the same, if not worse, addictive situations, I slowly began to let go of my pride. Going to Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Celebrate Recovery is a requirement of most clean and sober programs, including AAHAA Housing. The acronym AAHAA stands for Alcoholics & Addicts Helping Alcoholics & Addicts.

Mark Hampton is the founder of AAHAA, who also struggled with addiction for many years. He happened to come across a friend who was running a clean and sober housing program, and this inspired him to open his own program. His heart was to help others who had the same struggle.

I first heard about the program through a friend. She had a son who was living in one of Mark’s 11 houses that AAHAA has to offer. He was making great changes in his life after being released from prison. At the time, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Especially since my life, my marriage, and my family was being destroyed as my addiction was out of control.

When I first arrived at the Maple Valley House, I was surprised at what I was looking at. My preconceived idea of what a clean and sober house looks like was not even close. The house was clean, calm, beautiful, and well kept — a place designed for healing and recovery.

Mark has 11 houses in the program, and each one is unique with its own culture. Each house provides all the amenities a person needs to live a normal life and productive life, including food, telephone, internet, laundry facility, etc. Some of the houses are coed and some are all male. Most everyone in the program is living each day for the same thing — and that is to be free of drug and alcohol addiction. The reason I say most, is because the program also offers affordable housing for individuals who cannot afford to live on their own, because of the cost of living.

Each house has a live-in manager, who has worked the program and has established a sense of loyalty and has shown to be responsible. People are encouraged to work, and they are allowed to go about their day as they would like, as long as they follow the program’s rules which are designed to help the clients reintegrate back into society.

This program has been a blessing to me, my family, and many others who have had to fight the battle of chemical dependency. I would encourage anyone who is interested in help for themselves or others, to reach out and contact AAHAA Clean and Sober Living — you won’t regret it!

Alumni Client