Kinard Manor Recovery provided client Anika with the foundation she needed to finish her recovery journey. She recently completed the program and received her one-year sober chip. She is rebuilding her life, one step at a time, and said the program gave her the opportunity to do it.
“It has really blessed me in numerous ways, to be able to be an alum of Kinard Manor,” she said. “I really enjoyed the program. It gave me a sense of belonging and independence.”
Anika’s story
Anika was in foster care from the time she was 6 years old until she was adopted at 13. She said she always had a hard time figuring out where she fit in. Her skin would crawl just being around people or sitting in a place for too long.
When she was 18, she gave birth to her son. But it was also around that time that she began smoking marijuana.
After going through a divorce which led to her ex-husband receiving full custody of their son, Anika began doing meth and heroine. She said for the first time, the drugs made her feel like she fit in. But that feeling didn’t last.
She knew she had to change her life when friends began to pass away from overdoses.
“I’ve always had an obsessive personality, so I started drinking and smoking pot. Then it escalated,” Anika said. “The people I was hanging around, I was doing what they were doing. I’m not ashamed of it anymore, but I do not wish to be a part of it.”
Anika was in another recovery program when Ashley Meyer, house manager at Kinard Manor Recovery, reached out to her about the program. LSC opened Kinard Manor Recovery, an abstinence-based recovery program for women, in 2021. The home is in Greenwood, South Carolina, and provides a sober living environment for 10 women to learn and grow alongside peers who have experienced similar challenges.
“I came into recovery in kind of a low spot. I had just left another treatment center, but I had left too soon, and I found myself living in a motel and I didn’t have a job,” Anika said. “But God put people in my path to help. I was able to get in contact with someone to drive me to Greenwood. Everything fell into place, and I was able to start building myself back up.”
The structure and overall feeling of the house were exactly what Anika needed. She said the program helped her be accountable and stay on track. There were still days where she wanted to leave, but she had the support and the right people around her who convinced her to stay.
“I thought that I was one of those people who would never get clean, but here I learned to stay clean,” she said.
Onward and upward
Since completing the Kinard Manor program, Anika has started to rebuild her relationship with her son and began working at the local hospital. She also joined the Kinard Manor team as a house senior.
In the position she drives current clients to and from work and is a support system for them when they need it.
“When Ashley has to step away, I’m here and the women still have a place to come and to talk,” she said. “I enjoy just being there and being able to form relationships with the ladies that are coming in.”
The biggest encouragement she has for people who are just starting their recovery journey is to keep an open mind.
“Coming in knowing you want to get sober and build your life, that’s all you need to come in,” Anika said. “It’s that desire, and with all the opportunities and resources, it will help you build onto that so you can get to where you want to go.”
For more information about Kinard Manor Recovery, visit https://lscarolinas.net/kinard-manor-recovery/