08/12/2026
My name is Nick.
For 10 years, I lived in Breckenridge, Colorado. From the outside, I had a life in one of the most beautiful places in the country. But over time, drugs and alcohol took more and more from me until eventually, they took everything.
I lost my stability. I lost relationships. I lost jobs, opportunities, possessions, and pieces of myself that I never thought I would get back. Eventually, I ended up homeless on the streets of Colorado Springs. My life had become about surviving from one day to the next, and my addiction ultimately led me into the criminal justice system.
There was a point when the future didn’t mean much to me because I couldn’t see one.
Then I was given an opportunity through Hazelbrook.
Hazelbrook gave me something I desperately needed: structure, accountability, community, and a chance to start rebuilding my life. But the opportunity was only the beginning. I still had to decide what I was going to do with it.
So I started doing the work.
At first, rebuilding meant doing simple things that I had stopped doing for a long time… showing up, being where I said I would be, following through, accepting accountability, working hard, and learning how to live life without running from it.
Little by little, things started changing.
I began rebuilding trust. I started working again. I developed relationships with people who wanted to see me succeed. I learned that accountability wasn’t something being done to me… it was something that could help me become the person I wanted to be.
Eventually, the place that helped me rebuild my own life became the place where I was given the opportunity to help other people rebuild theirs.
Today, I am a Qualified Behavioral Health Assistant (QBHA), Peer Recovery Coach (PRC), and Housing Supervisor with Hazelbrook.
That is something I don’t take lightly.
I know what it feels like to walk into a program with almost nothing. I know what it feels like to be frustrated by rules and structure. I know what it’s like to wonder whether your life can actually be different. And I know how much can change when someone is given an opportunity and decides to take it seriously.
My past isn’t something I have to hide from anymore. It’s one of the reasons I can do the work I do today.
When I talk to someone who is struggling, I’m not speaking from a textbook. I’ve been homeless. I’ve experienced addiction. I’ve dealt with the consequences of my decisions. I’ve had to rebuild trust and start over. I know what it feels like when life seems completely broken.
But I also know what it feels like when things start coming back together.
Today, my life looks completely different.
I have responsibilities. I have people who depend on me. I have a career that means something to me. I get to help create the same structure and accountability for others that once helped save my life. I get to watch people come into our program struggling and slowly begin to believe in themselves again.
Most importantly, I enjoy my life today.
For a long time, I was just trying to make it through another day. Now, I actually look forward to tomorrow.
I look forward to growing professionally. I look forward to new experiences. I look forward to spending time with the people I love. I look forward to seeing what else I’m capable of becoming.
I’ve completely rebuilt my life, but I’m not finished building it.
There was a time when I thought losing everything meant my story was over.
Today, I understand that it was the beginning of a completely different chapter.
Hazelbrook gave me an opportunity when I needed one. I took that opportunity and ran with it. Now I have the privilege of being in a position where I can help give that same opportunity to the next person who walks through our doors.
If my story proves anything, it’s that your worst chapter does not have to be your last chapter.
Sometimes rebuilding starts with nothing more than an opportunity, some accountability, and the willingness to keep showing up.
I am incredibly grateful for the life I have today.
And for the first time in a very long time, I’m genuinely excited to see where it goes next.
This is my story.
