MY L.A. CADA/CCTRP STORY BY: ELIZABETH “LEESA” I thought my life was over September 26, 2010. That was the day I was sentenced to a 15 year, 4-month prison sentence. I was guilty of all the charges against me and deserved the time that I was given. I thought that prison life meant that I […]
A Beautiful Butterfly The L.A.CADA Youth Program has done everything they could to guide me so that I succeeded in my recovery. They helped me during my process of going from a larva in a cocoon to a beautiful butterfly. When a larva is in their cocoon, they make mistakes, they mess up and try […]
My name is Karen R. I have a younger sister and older sibling, making me the middle child. My childhood was okay, different because I was first-generation Mexican/American. I went to school and finished school through a continuation high school. After high school I started using. After some time my life began to crumble. […]
Robert C. grew up as a baseball fan, living in Atwater Village near Dodger Stadium. He remembers his drug and gang-ridden neighborhood as a place where everyone knew each other through the generations, like “one big family”. Robert’s single mother was protective, sending her children to private schools to keep them off the streets and […]
A Spiritual Journey to Healing “There was a point in my life when I knew I could either embrace a spiritual life and sobriety, or find myself swept up into my own darkness and isolation. I chose the light.” Michael R. grew up the hard way. As the oldest of seven children in an unstable […]
L.A. CADA PUT Faafouina BACK TOGETHER “Lost is an understatement of how I was feeling that day. I was broken, in more ways than one. LA CADA put me back together”. Treatment participant Faafouina “how I lost my mind”. The nurse explained that people don’t really lose their minds, they just lose touch of reality. […]
Sheldon Spencer gives back Some people say you can tell how much a person is loved by the number of nicknames they have. By that measure, Sheldon Spencer (a.k.a “Papa Bear,” “The Other Mayor of West Hollywood,” “The Street Kid’s Best Friend”) was truly loved by those around him. At first, we didn’t know a […]
“What’s it like to be homeless? Charles M. knows. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, he remembers a stable home, including a loving brother and sisters. When alcohol became a favorite pastime early in his life, things slowly began to change. Charles had embarked on a journey as a lifelong alcoholic. The more he drank, the […]
