Featured Program: The Hello House
Both of Joshua Clark’s parents were heroin addicts, one of whom eventually died due to complications from HIV, while the other successfully entered rehab when Josh was 12 years old. When he was 9 years old he was separated from his four siblings and sent to a foster home. Sitting in an outdoor patio at a coffee shop in Boston’s South End during an interview for a story in the
Joshua’s heroin addiction started when he was 18, which led him to detox about 60 times, and four jail terms. To many addicts, detox is just a way to get healthier, when the drugs and alcohol take their toll. “At detox I’d get better and hit the street again, never intending to get cleaned up,” says Josh about his cycle of detox. “There was a whole network of people I’d see over and over again, and in a lot of ways it was as much social as it was rehabilitative.” During those years nothing got better for Josh as a result of all the programs, residences and nonprofit agencies he had contact with.
“During the worst of my addiction I wanted to die, but I didn’t want to kill myself,” Joshua continued. “I always pushed myself to the limit, to see how far I could go, and I overdosed frequently. This cycle continued until I was 27 years old and went to the
It was about at that point that the staff helped Joshua realize that he had come there asking for help, something he had lost sight of. “At other programs I had been to, I felt the staff didn’t care, but at Hello House it was different. Not only did they care about me, but they helped me realize that there was something in me that I never saw in myself.”
That’s what made the difference, and when Joshua accepted the help and embraced their suggestions, he changed. “I remember sitting in an AA meeting, with all the smoke and coffee, and I heard the story about the cucumber that turned into a pickle and how it could never change back to a cucumber. It was then that I understood I was an addict and that was never going to change."
It’s one of the key points of the
It isn’t easy or glamorous, but Josh now lives in a sober house, attends AA meetings, and goes to work at 5 a.m. to catch a bus and train to his job as a roofer. “When I first got clean and sober I entered that gray zone where I thought there has to be something more to this different life I was experiencing. As I stick with it, I realize how important my sobriety is and accept every day as it comes.”
About Hello House
Hello House for Men, located in the South End of Boston, is dedicated to returning men to the community sober, employed and committed to an ongoing recovery process.
Why we're different from some other programs . . .
- intensive clinical case management
- monthly on-site medication evaluation
- individual one-on-one counseling
- three-phase program including one hour a week of group counseling
The treatment environment is firmly grounded in the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous. Group, individual and family counseling are utilized to educate and actively engage residents in issues that support recovery.
To acquire sober living skills, one must pursue a positive program for sobriety. Hello House provides a structured opportunity for clients to demonstrate an acceptance of addiction and a commitment to change. In addition to active involvement in the AA/NA study and daily practice, men in the house participate in educational seminars on alcoholism, drug dependency, relapse prevention and issues of early sobriety.
