Catherine N. is the mother of John, a current resident in the third and final Phase of Turnbridge’s reintegration program. Over the course of John’s residency at Turnbridge he has demonstrated tremendous growth, immersing himself in the 12-step recovery community, enrolling at a local University, and even earning the position of House Manager at one of Turnbridge’s Phase III facilities. According to Catherine, John’s addiction surfaced while he was away at college, and caught the family completely off-guard. “It was truly a surprise,” Catherine said. “He was an all-around athlete in high school, and when he went to college he continued to play at a very high level.” Catherine believed that drugs were not an issue because John was leading a functional, active life at the time. During the summer vacation before his sophomore year in college, John’s behavior changed and he began to exhibit signs of frustration and depression while at home. During his sophomore year, John called home and broke the news to his family in a desperate appeal for help, informing Catherine that he was addicted to prescription painkillers and could not overcome it on his own. Fearing for her son’s life, Catherine sprang into action, enrolling John at a 28-day addiction treatment program in Pennsylvania. Following treatment, John transitioned to an aftercare program in Florida where he stayed for almost four months. “He was reasonably successful there,” Catherine said. “They were somewhat concerned about his commitment to sobriety.” Two months after discharging, John suffered a relapse. After being referred to Turnbridge by a local counselor and being impressed with what she heard, Catherine presented the John with a life saving ultimatum: to go to Turnbridge or live on his own. “To our surprise” recalled Catherine, “he said ‘I want to come to Turnbridge.'” Catherine was encouraged by the fact that Turnbridge’s program is designed specifically for young men like John. She felt that Turnbridge’s streamlined approach would help her son to build the bonds and establish the relationships that are so crucial for long term success. Catherine has witnessed revolutionary changes in John’s behavior since being admitted into the Turnbridge long term drug treatment center. According to Catherine, John has become more mature and calm when dealing with life’s curveballs. He has learned to keep things in perspective, and has begun to embrace the importance of the 12-step program. John recently enrolled at Southern Connecticut State University to resume his education in pursuit of a degree in exercise physiology, and he was recently offered a position as a Turnbridge House Manager. “Turnbridge has been very helpful,” Catherine said. “I’m so pleased to have them as a resource. It’s so nice to look to them and know that they’re taking care of it. They’ve been very positive, and encouraging to us. I don’t think we’ve ran into an individual whom we haven’t felt a connection with, and gratitude towards.”