Dr. Mark Gold & President Roy Serpa

On Wednesday, August 28, Lakeview Health and Stepping Stone hosted a dinner at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jacksonville. We welcomed more than 200 alumni, friends, family, staff and people from the local recovery community.

The event was a wonderful mix of hope and healing. Michal shared his powerful story of recovery and his journey of healing and forgiveness with his family, who were there for his engaging testimonial. We recognized Ami Gilland and Kelly Armagost for their tireless commitment to the growth of our alumni program and passion for building a strong recovery presence in Jacksonville.

The evening concluded with a dynamic presentation by Dr. Mark Gold , the internationally recognized and distinguished addiction medicine physician from the University of Florida, Dept. of Psychiatry. Dr. Gold shared the science behind the brain disease of addiction applying it to drugs, alcohol, tobacco and eating and mood disorders.

More About Living in Recovery

Dr. William Duke

"I’ll just have one. It's no big deal."
"I can't have fun unless I'm drinking."
"I can handle it; it's not a big problem."

During the early part of the recovery process, conniving, deluding self- talk is always present. Before you know it, this deceptive self- talk can become a deafening self-shout, and the danger of relapse increases. That's the power of automatic thoughts and how they shape our feelings and actions and behaviors.

But it is possible to get hold of this self-defeating, one-way conversation with yourself. Change your self- talk and you change yourself. Read More

"Here I was introduced to Alcoholics Anonymous: "90 meetings in 90 days; get a sponsor; work the 12 steps." There were many suggestions and the question was: "Am I really going to follow through with it?" I've always been determined, so I decided to put 100 percent effort into the program.

After leaving rehab, I went to a halfway house, feeling confident that walking into a sober network would be the best decision for me. For the first 30 days, I went to a minimum of two to three meetings a day, trying to get as much information as I could from each one. Finally, getting a sponsor at around 3 months, I started working the steps. Thoroughly working the 12 steps of AA has become fully incorporated in my life.

I recently got a full-time job and an apartment of my own, while still attending meetings daily. I continue to be enmeshed with AA and my sober network by bringing meetings into treatment centers; I am also the house manager for a women's sober living facility. I work with others daily hoping to carry the message.”

Special appearance by Jennifer Gimenez of VH1's "Sober House."

Stepping Stone's Recovery Month Rally on September 14 included a special appearance by Jennifer Gimenez of VH1's "Sober House." See more photos on our Facebook page.

We’re bidding farewell to Joanna Painton, who has left her position as alumni director. Joanna made huge contributions to the program and to the recovery community. We thank her for her tireless service.

For more information about our alumni program, contact alumni@steppingstonecfr.com or call 800-833-9057