GRAND RAPIDS CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Super Bowl Sunday can be a difficult day for people recovering from substance abuse. For the second year in a row, Guiding Light offered support to their recovery program members and alumni by hosting a 'Sober Bowl' party.
The event was held at Guiding Light's facility in downtown Grand Rapids and included soft drinks, food, music and the big game.
Starla McDermott, Guiding Light development director, said about 150 individuals registered to attend. Current members invited their families to Guiding Light's facilities where they showed them around what many call "home."
"They can still enjoy the fun of the game, enjoy the festivities, their families, their friends but in a different environment," McDermott said.
For recovery program member Andy Havemeier the evening went beyond a sporting event, as he celebrated just over a year of sobriety with Guiding Light.
"This sober bowl last year was like the first event that I got to do here. I was just a couple weeks in so...I came in kind of broken and hopeless, and now it’s kind of cool to be looked up to by some of the guys and truthfully tell them some good advice," Havemeier said.
He now lives in Guiding Light's Iron House, sobriety housing for individuals who complete Guiding Light’s Recovery or Back-to-Work programs. Havemeier and his roommate Javier helped out in the kitchen during the party, serving their community.
"It's pretty cool to see a year later the way I feel now compared to where I was a year ago, two to three weeks into this program. It's changed my life," He said.
For more information on Guiding Light and its recovery programs, click here.
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