“Treatment is for a season, but God and recovery are for a lifetime.”
New Orleans, Louisiana – October, 2020
My name is Wayne Miller and I’m an admissions counselor for Odyssey House, a residential and outpatient treatment program for addicts. If you’d told me many years ago that I’d be here, I would never have believed it. You see my life started out quite differently.
I was a three-time world champion gymnast. I was known for “The Miler”—a full in, double full out with one twist in the first somersault and two twists in the second somersault. Gymnasts today still practice this move. I went on to become a very successful sales and marketing executive. I was also a husband and a father until, after a downward spiral of events stemming from my addiction, I lost everything.
I turned to Volunteers of America’s Duvernay Residence, where I still live. My main goal is to stay sober and rebuild my life. The staff has helped me realize that there’s hope and they’ve helped me bounce back a step at a time.
My responsibilities at Odyssey House include community outreach to people suffering from addiction and hardship. I’m active in church and committed to giving back to others. I know what it’s like to feel that everything is hopeless and I want to inspire others so they can recover.
Staying clean and sober and getting my life back on track are not my only goals, I started a local Education Outreach Coalition to strengthen communication among parents, teachers and students.
I’ve learned that you can’t worry about the past or the future, you can only take care of now and the rest will take care of itself. Treatment is for a season, but God and recovery are for a lifetime.
