When Mandi walked through the doors at Via Avanta, our women’s residential program, in 2017, she was out of options. Her three-year-old daughter had been taken by DCFS, and the grief, guilt, and hopelessness had become unbearable.
“I was pretty much going to die if I kept drinking,” she said. “It was life or death for me. There was no future if I would’ve kept drinking.”
Alcohol had always been a constant in her life. Drinking felt normal. Even when she tried to stop, the cycle pulled her back—drink, cry, try to quit, then start again. After struggling to stay sober in outpatient rehab, she knew she wasn’t going to get her daughter back if something didn’t change.
That’s when she came to Via Avanta.
“I jumped in feet first,” Mandi said. For the first time, she had real support: case managers, therapists, and structure. She didn’t have to try to figure it out alone.
The program gave her something she never had: accountability. For the first time in her life, she was responsible for showing up, being honest, and actively participating in her own healing.
“I learned a lot about myself,” she shared.
She began to recognize the effects of her childhood trauma, the distorted thinking that shaped her reality, and the absence of healthy boundaries in her life.
“It was eye-opening to become so self-aware,” she shared. “I realized that I could shift my thought process, regulate my behavior, and change my own perceptions of myself.”
Through individual and group therapy—including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—Mandi began to unpack what she had carried for so long. “I talked about everything that happened in my past. I let everything go and let my emotions out finally.”
Recovery didn’t end when she left Via Avanta, it was just the beginning. One year after leaving the program, she got her daughter back.
She continued with outpatient care, completed an internship where she had once been a patient, and eventually began working full time as a drug and alcohol counselor. What began as a step toward rebuilding her life soon became her purpose.
Mandi earned her certification as a substance use counselor and later pursued the credentials to become a Certified Clinical Supervisor. Today, she’s proud to train interns who are following the same path, guiding them as they learn to support others in recovery. She loves helping patients as well as mentoring new counselors; each milestone is a reminder of how far she’s come and how her experience can help others rise.
Today, Mandi is eight years sober. Her life today embodies what’s possible with the right support, structure, and willingness to grow.
“I think that’s the main thing in recovery, learning about yourself. What you stand for, what your actual values are, how to communicate. How to respond, instead of react. Not to make assumptions.”
Looking back, she knows she surrendered when she came into treatment. But in doing so, she reclaimed her life, and created a future full of meaning, connection, and purpose.
Her advice for anyone just starting out in recovery? “Don’t give up and don’t give in.”
