Success Stories

My mission is to continue living a life of honesty, accountability, and sobriety.

"I am committed to making positive choices that support my recovery, maintaining stable employment, strengthening my relationship with my brother, building healthy relationships with my sober support, managing my impulsivity, and working towards my financial goals of purchasing a home and car.

As I prepare to graduate the Turning Point Program, I will continue using the tools I have learned to remain substance free, contribute positively to my community, and build a stable, responsible, and fulfilling future."

Jody is employed as a house manager of a Recovery House where he supports and guides others in their recovery.

Jody's accomplishments show the impact of a life that has been changed.

I am managing a Recovery House for women two blocks away from the strip club where I used to tend bar.

"I started this journey over a year ago. I was working at a strip club as a bartender selling drugs and doing whatever I needed to do to make ends meet and support my unhealthy habits.

I had just left a man who had taken me for granted and exploited me. He brought his people into my home and they stole everything from me.

My daughter was no longer safe. I had to ask her to go back and stay with her father which was hard as a mother. My house got raided.

I was arrested and sent to the Summit County Jail. I was angry, hurt and alone. I had no one and nothing. Or so I thought. While in jail, I heard about the Turning Point Program from my Judge and I already knew of IBH. I had been sober on and off for periods of time in my life but never knew what recovery was. I knew my mother went to IBH when I was a teen so I asked my Judge if I could go there because I needed help. I had nothing to lose and I have gained so much more."

I am providing hope for others in a location where I felt so hopeless.

Lyndi is now a certified Peer Recovery Supporter and has become a change agent for others.

Getting sober gave me something I never thought I’d have again, HOPE.

"The first time I did drugs I told myself that I can quit whenever I want. What started as fun, and a way to escape stress slowly became something that controlled every part of my life. My days revolved around getting high. My relationships, health, and my self-respect faded away. I watched opportunities disappear. I’d lost every good job, relationship, and everyone close to me, but I couldn’t stop using drugs or find a way out of my addiction.

Eventually, I hit rock bottom, and knew I needed help. I have tried every inpatient and outpatient rehab facility, and 30 attempts at detox. Detox was the hardest experience of my life. The physical pain, anxiety, and craving felt overwhelming, but I held on and made it through.

Recovery taught me that every day is a chance to choose a better path.

Sobriety didn’t just save my life, it gave me a reason to truly live it."

Sobriety was forced on me by the court, but today it’s my choice to stay sober.

Eric has earned his automotive certification, paid his court fines, bought a home and vehicles, restored his relationship with family, and is engaged to be married.

Eric is an amazing reason for why we do what we do.

Through recovery, I’ve learned that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.

"My addiction started as a way to escape stress and difficult situations. What began as something occasional slowly became something that controlled parts of my life. It developed over time and eventually became a pattern that was hard to break.

My addiction affected my relationships, my finances, and my legal situation. It caused me to lose trust, created distance between me and the people I love, and led to consequences that I never imagined. It also took away my peace of mind. It took me to a place where I wasn’t living up to the person I wanted to be. It put my freedom, my future, and my family at risk. Along the way, I lost time, opportunities, trust, and moments I can never get back. The hardest part was knowing it affected the people I love most.

My biggest turning point was realizing I wanted a different life. Being able to rebuild relationships with my son and seeing the positive changes in my life gave me the motivation to keep moving forward."

I’ve stayed committed to changing my life, accepted responsibility for my actions, worked toward completing my legal obligations, and continued building healthier relationships and better habits.

Megan is inspiration that recovery is possible.

Oriana House has partnered with many exceptional organizations and individuals to develop innovative programs that help people change their lives. As these programs celebrate milestones, we applaud the generational impact they have on people, families, and communities. One such collaboration is Akron Recovery Court. Akron Municipal Court Judge Jon Oldham presides over this specialty court which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2025. Oriana House produced a video for Akron Recovery Court that has the people involved in the program sharing how this therapeutic approach to addressing drug-related offenses provides the framework for participants to write their own success stories.

Stephanie's recovery story is one that she shares frequently to let others know that there is always hope. Multiple interactions with the courts; homelessness; placing her children up for adoption; and treatment that involved successes and relapses culminated in a personal journey that equipped Stephanie to be a beacon to others who are facing similar battles. The ways Stephanie helps our clients and individuals and families in the community who are affected by the disease of addiction is an inspiration to us all.

Dylan says the treatment he went through at Oriana House helped him address his disease of addiction and taught him how to deal with the things that led him into using drugs in the first place. Restored relationships with his family, marriage, and a beautiful young daughter are his priorities and source of joy now. Additionally, Dylan stays busy by giving back through coordinating recovery events and resources in the community. Dylan's outreach to others is an amazing picture of how recovery is the beginning of something so much more powerful than addiction.

Courtney went from being homeless and struggling with the disease of addiction to having a home, her children back in her life, and employment in the community where she helps others who are experiencing homelessness. Courtney says her life is proof that it is never too late for recovery.

Tara had reached the point in her disease of addiction where her love of drugs superseded everything else in her life, including her role as a mother. Through treatment at Oriana House Tara learned that she could correct her thinking errors, that her brain needed time to recover from the damage caused by addiction, and steps she could take to rebuild her family and her life. Now a licensed chemical dependency treatment counselor, Tara has chosen a career helping others through a business she owns and operates, and her relationships with her daughter and her parents are the utmost blessings in her life.

Kenny’s recovery stemmed from becoming a dad and his desire to be sober for his daughter. He actively mentors individuals who are in Oriana House programs and elsewhere in the recovery community and is the founder of Just A Dad From Akron, a clothing brand/movement that creates positive, inspiring messages and organizes outreach, support, and resource events.

As a requirement of his probation, Vaughn spent almost two years participating in treatment and programming as part of the Turning Point Specialty Drug Court. He says that by seizing all the opportunities the program offered he was able to change everything that needed changed in his life, one thing at a time. Now Vaughn mentors others who are going through Turning Point.

A mother of three boys and sober since 2016, Shannon says life is busy and filled with family, full time work, and church. While a client at Oriana House, Shannon said staff always encouraged and counseled her, while keeping her accountable in her sobriety and teaching her how to navigate life and reach towards people and things that are helpful and not harmful.

Overcoming addiction that led to prison and then Oriana House as part of community reentry, Robert’s path now includes a rewarding career as the fleet manager of a trucking company. Robert has made it a priority to offer professional training and employment opportunities to others who are in situations similar to what he went through.

Anton says what worked best for his recovery was being able to talk with other people who could relate firsthand to what he was experiencing. Now Anton is offering that same lived experience as a Peer Recovery Supporter who helps many others on their road to recovery. He knows there are different pathways to recovery and is grateful that Oriana House helped him find his way so he is able to help others.