Mark was exposed to alcohol at a young age and began drinking regularly at just 13 years old. After being bullied as a child, Mark was desperate to be liked and to belong; drinking allowed him to fit in. “I thought I was the fun, party, crazy guy, but eventually it started killing me as I got deeper into it,” he said.
CERRC gave Mark a fresh start. *July 2025.
As Mark got older, his substance use disorder (SUD) only grew. His use of alcohol as a social crutch also became a coping mechanism for his mental health. “I had a lot of depression, anxiety, anger, and I didn't treat it. I didn't have any coping skills. My coping skill was alcohol,” he said. His alcohol use and the negative influences he saw growing up turned him down a path of destruction. “I saw people cheat and lie and steal around me, and that's what I did. That's how I lived my life.”
By 21, Mark received his first of four DUIs, although he admitted there would be hundreds had he been caught every time he drove under the influence. “Luckily, I didn't kill someone. Luckily, I didn't kill myself. Luckily, they were just DUIs,” he said. Mark’s life became littered with jail time, lost friendships, and broken family relationships.
Despite the harm occurring around him, Mark was in denial of his SUD. His family and friends tried to talk to him, but he shut them down. “My idea of an alcoholic was the cliché; there's a guy with a paper bag sitting under a bridge,” Mark explained. When he looked at his life – a car, a job, an apartment, an education – he did not see an alcoholic. “The thought of having a problem didn't even cross my mind. Not even close. Even after the DUIs, even after the close calls.”
SUD and its consequences finally caught up to Mark in February of 2024. He was depressed and unemployed due to an injury. “I was so depressed, everything was dark, and I didn't want to live anymore,” he said. One day he texted his girlfriend, telling her that he planned to commit suicide. The police arrived and Mark barricaded himself in a closet on his balcony, yelling that he had a weapon in hopes that the police would kill him. “They could have shot me. They could have killed me. And by the grace of God, they didn't. They teargassed me. They flash banged me... Finally, when they teargassed me twice, I had to give up because I couldn't breathe,” he said.
Mark was taken to jail and began to slowly sober up, but as he did, he realized that this situation was no “slap on the hand”; this was serious. “When I went to my first court date, I was looking at some serious charges because of the threat of life on a police officer. There were five counts of that. Nine total felonies after it was all said and done,” he said. “They didn't want any probation... ‘we want him to go to prison. He's a menace.’ That's what the DA said. ‘He's a menace.’”
While his lawyer looked into recovery programs, Mark turned to God, praying that his SUD be taken away. “I started thinking and I was like, ‘Lord, you know... I want to get help. I'm asking for it. I'm begging for it. For the first time I'm saying, I'm an alcoholic. I am an alcoholic,’” he said. “‘I want help. Please help me.’” Hoping against all odds for help and for mercy from the court, God answered Mark’s prayers. “The judge overruled the district attorney and said, ‘I'm gonna give him help,’” Mark said.
Mark was sent to CRASH and then to ECS Central East Regional Recovery Center (CERRC). By chance, his CERRC counselor, Charles, graduated from CRASH, as well. He knew where Mark was coming from and how to best continue his recovery journey. “For me, it was life and death. I need someone who's going to tell me how it is, not tell me what I want to hear, but tell me what I need to hear,” Mark said.
Mark shared that the entire CERRC team – from the front desk associates to the case managers and counselors – was wonderful and saw his progression. Stephanie helped him get his EBT card, set up a dentist appointment, and work on his resume. Rachel helped him find a sober living in which he could thrive.
Group sessions and empathetic counseling are a few features of CERRC that uplift clients to recovery. *July 2025.
The group sessions were particularly impactful for Mark. “We're all different walks of life. You know, you can have the meanest looking guy with tattoos on his face and he's breaking down crying,” he said. “I started gaining a lot of empathy in those groups. I cared about some of these people. I literally exchanged numbers with them and would check on them, see if they're okay. And I never cared about anybody. I didn't even care about myself.”
Now, as a CERRC graduate, Mark is building himself up, taking care of himself mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. “Alcohol was the start of the problem, but now we got to work on ourselves,” Mark said.
He has a sponsor, goes to meetings, and does meditation each morning. He has a job he loves where all of his co-workers also happen to be in sobriety. He has a good relationship with his family again and just welcomed a new grandbaby. Mark shared how he is committed to demonstrating his new lease on life to his loved ones. “I can tell you all day long that I'm not going to drink for the rest of my life and you can take it however you want to. But if I show you, well then, I'm showing you,” he said. “I'm taking action.”
CERRC helped Mark achieve the unthinkable and rewire his mindset to find healthy coping mechanisms. “I don't have to drink because I'm stressed. I don't have to drink because I'm angry. I don't have to drink because I'm happy. I can do other things,” he said. Now, recovery is so important to Mark, it’s even apparent in his sleep. “I started having sober dreams where I would tell somebody, ‘Oh, no, I don't drink. I'm sober,’ in my dreams, instead of having the using ones.”
The cherry on top of all the goodness in Mark’s life? All of his charges have been dropped like they never happened. “I'll always be in recovery. Do I have an alcohol problem now? I don't think so. My problem is just trying to be a better person,” he said. “Doing different and being different, being better.”
One way Mark has proven his effort to be better is through sharing his recovery story. He has spoken at AA panels, crisis centers, and H&I (Hospitals and Institutions) panels. “It's freeing for me. I'd held all this stuff in for not years, but decades. And I don't have to lie anymore. I don't have to be someone I'm not. I can tell you the good, the bad, the ugly, and, you know, if someone wants to judge me, well then, they're going to judge me. That's not my problem. My responsibility is to help someone else.”
Alcohol no longer controls Mark’s life. Just a year and a half ago he had totally given up. Now, with the help of CERRC, he has reclaimed and reshaped his life in incredible ways. “It really does work. I didn't believe it. I was like, ‘yeah, you tell me all this crap, but I'm not going to be smiling. I don't smile.’ And I'm smiling. I'm happy,” he said. “This program is amazing. It saves people.”
To learn more about CERRC visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/central-east-regional-recovery-center.
*Caption dates may not be exact.