Alumni stories

Long-term recovery is possible! Six years, and just the beginning.

Numbers. Every person recovering from an addiction knows the importance of numbers. One day at a time; the 12 steps and 12 traditions; the days

I stayed at Retorno’s detox center for a short period of time. From the beginning, I committed to 21 days to detox from all the

The phone rang, and I could see from the number that it was an overseas call. On the line were two parents, worried about their

What did I gain from Retorno? In a real sense, I gained the reins to my life. Just as a horse rider’s reins allow him

This moving letter was written by the son of a client from the US who was in treatment in Retorno from July, 2011 through January,

Story from one of our Retorno alumni, as told to Shoshana Schwartz: I don’t feel at home, anywhere. In the house of my youth I

Retorno’s empowerment workshops can change your life. Read this feedback from one of our participants: In the saddle, riding high, looking at the world from a

I gave everything. My body, my soul, my money, my very being. All of me. I gave it all to my addiction. And my addiction chewed

When I was born my lungs were not working properly. The doctors did not expect me to live, but after two months I left the

I’m not asking you to move a mountainI’m not asking you to split the sea,I’m not asking you to make me flyI’m not asking not

I was born in Europe to Holocaust survivors. My father was the Rav of the city and my mom was very controlling. We were like

In the secular world, you hear about “holiday blues.” You know, when the big holidays come around, people have so many expectations that they are

For as long as I remember, I’ve wanted to be just a few pounds lighter. Whether I weighed 150 or 250, it was never right.

As told to Shoshana Schwartz I don’t know what I was expecting, exactly. Jail, maybe. Or an antiseptic, sterile, hospital kind of smell. But that’s

I don’t want to wake up today. I want to sleep, sleep forever. I look at those words, stare at them, taste them. Who wrote

Greg didn’t think of himself as a “street kid.” He was just a regular kid whose parents didn’t understand him. He hated school, and he

If you would’ve asked me a year and a half ago, “Is there any hope for you?” My answer would have been a clear NO.But

I am a teenage girl in treatment at Retorno. After a long time in the program, I met with the program coordinators. They asked me,

I was feeling rotten. Feeling like a rotten mother, a rotten wife. I was feeling rotten inside. I haven’t felt this bad in ages. I

It looked so strong, the new building. So solid, so stable. It looked like it could withstand anything. And we’re in Central Israel, for goodness’

On the outside, Daniel was just another young man. But inside he was a very angry, hurt and frightened child. He couldn’t talk to anyone

My name is David. I’m 25 years old, and I came to Retorno three and a half years ago to treat my addiction to drugs