Mia celebrates reaching recovery and strengthening relationship with her daughter
This June, Mia will celebrate three years of sobriety and two years since completing Avivo’s recovery programs. She’s proud to be living in stable housing while working as a kitchen manager and sous chef at a local restaurant and reflects on her recovery journey, and the significant obstacles she overcame to get here.
When she first entered Avivo’s outpatient program, Mia and her family were living in a period of extreme housing instability. Reliant on a patchwork of family and friends for shelter, Mia’s daughters were temporarily placed with relatives. Mia was undeterred. She was determined to regain custody and to reaching recovery – finding in Avivo both the professional guidance and the housing she desperately needed.
At Avivo, Mia appreciated the stability Avivo’s recovery housing provides. “Having – even a shared unit – meant I didn’t have to wonder where I’d sleep,” she shares. For the first time in a while, that stability allowed her to focus on getting herself well again, rather than survival.
“Having – even a shared unit – meant I didn’t have to wonder where I’d sleep.”
Then, tragedy struck. Mia’s ten‑year‑old daughter passed away suddenly from recently diagnosed sleep apnea, while separated from her. Mia was stunned and recognizes that her recovery journey could have ended at that moment – but she refused to let this life-changing tragedy trigger a relapse. “I could have used it as an excuse,” she says, “but I chose to use it as strength.” Throughout that time, she shares that Avivo staff stepped up to help her, providing emotional support, making calls on her behalf, checking in multiple times daily, as well as simply listening when Mia needed to talk.
“The people at Avivo helped me so much,” shares Mia. “I don’t know if I would have made it to where I am now … if I didn’t have this network of people here to help me get through it.”
“The people at Avivo helped me so much,” shares Mia. “I don’t know if I would have made it to where I am now … if I didn’t have this network of people here to help me get through it.”
Then, a family unit opened in Avivo’s Family Intensive Outpatient program, and Mia was able to move into a private apartment for her and her younger daughter (and their dog).
“Housing here was a tremendous help, having that as an option. That I could include my children in my recovery and not be separated from them for such a long period of time, it gave me hope. It gave me something to hold on to.”
“That I could include my children in my recovery and not be separated from them for such a long period of time, it gave me hope. It gave me something to hold on to.”
Looking ahead, Mia plans to open a business – perhaps a food truck or brick‑and‑mortar café – where she can hire and mentor women in recovery, especially those with felony records. “I want to give second chances,” she explains, “because that’s what I received.”
Mia credits both her resilience and the stability Avivo provided for her recovery. “I came to get sober,” she says, “but I stayed because I found people who cared.”
She shares that her relationship with her daughter has grown stronger, and she looks forward to continuing to build that relationship, which is now built on trust and strength.
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