Thank you so much to Luke Stroh, who has shared his story of recovery and growth below. Luke got help from Hope Manor, a sober living facility in Bismarck. Hope Manor’s office number is 701-751-4005, and their application can be found on our website by clicking here. September is recovery month, and they will be posting a recovery story each day on their Facebook account to try and inspire hope.

From Luke:

My story started out relatively normal, loving family, farm kid, small town, pretty typical North Dakota upbringing. But I felt like I was different. I felt like I couldn’t breathe from the time I was very young on, I felt as though I never really fit in or belonged anywhere, like there was something wrong with me, and someone forgot to tell me.

I started binge drinking when I was still in high school, although not very often and usually socially, at that time I didn’t recognize it as a problem so far as alcoholism/addiction go. Given the time and culture I don’t know that anyone else would have saw it as that sort of issue either. Kids will be kids, sure my parents weren’t happy, but I don’t think they recognized they had an alcoholic on their hands at that time. I did well in school and for the most part I could show up when I needed to.

It didn’t become a debilitating issue for me until around March or April of 2016. I drank like I normally did, heavily one weekend, except I couldn’t put the bottle down. Almost every night I wasn’t working I was drinking, to help me sleep, to help me cope with an apparent allergy to life itself. Over the course of the next 18 months I managed to get kicked out of college, lose my job, get an Absence of Physical Control Charge (basically a DUI, but I wasn’t driving when they found me), and violate a burn ban. All because of my drinking.

I was given an ultimatum by my family: either get help or get out. On September 16th 2017, I entered Hope Manor because I had watched it save my aunt’s life. Thank God for that. I wanted to believe there was no hope for me, but I could not deny what had occurred in my aunt’s life as a result of Hope Manor. If she could recover from alcoholism and addiction, maybe I could too. I haven’t picked up a drink since that day.

I am now in the Bismarck Area, working as a Paramedic. I also help teach new Paramedics and EMTs. Go figure, I went from getting kicked out of school to helping do the teaching. In my free time you can find me walking or hiking with my dog, Moose, spending time with my friends and family, or reading and drawing.

There is always hope, never give up, every quote that people in a bad spot roll their eyes at is true, it is often always darkest just before the dawn. If I did it, so can the next person. This life is worth living sober, with all of its ups and downs. The love and joy I experience, un-altered, on a daily basis – even on the worst days – far out weigh the best days when I was drunk, and I had fun then, too.

If you are struggling reach out for help. It’s the first step to a new life.

Watch Luke’s segment here: