Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Hisel. He’s the Co Founder of A Better Life Recovery.
Joe, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I blew out my knee while dirt biking and in order to fully repair it, I needed to undergo surgery. Post surgery, to help with the pain, my doctor prescribed the narcotic Hydracodone which ultimately led to my long battle with drug addiction.
I used drugs consistently for nine years after my knee surgery. My addiction cost me my job, my girlfriend, my family and anything that mattered to me, but if I’m being honest, at that point in my life, it felt like nothing really mattered. I was too deeply addicted. It took those nine years for the reality to hit me. At 2 am one sleepless night, I came to terms that I was a drug addict. The denial had finally worn off.
I checked myself into treatment and jumped through all the hoops asked of me, but I wasn’t invested. I lasted 30 of the required 90 days. I liked the idea of being sober, but I wasn’t willing to do the work.
I fell into a major depression the following year, but despite this, I was able to maintain all appearances of being sober. My family and loved ones didn’t know I was using again. During that time, I reached my lowest point where I didn’t want to live anymore. My sister asked me to house sit for her and I knew my brother-in-law kept a gun in their safe. If I could get into it, I could take the gun, go somewhere and end my life, but luckily I couldn’t figure out the code. My sister knew I was suffering from depression and struggling. When she got home, she was able to see I had tried to break into the safe and she confronted me. I came completely clean about everything, the drug use, the thoughts of suicide and needing help. My sister helped me check into treatment for the second and final time.
January 18th, 2012 I officially got sober.
During my treatment, I realized I wanted to help others who were struggling with addiction. I knew there had to be a better way to approach rehabilitation. Most treatment centers don’t work to resolve the underlying cause of the addiction and to help the client understand that there is a bigger, better life ahead if they are willing to do the work. Treatment centers have figured out how to detox their clients, but crafting a successful program that will set clients up for long term success has, on the whole, eluded this industry.
Shortly after, I met the men who would become my partners in this journey to build a new and better drug and alcohol treatment center. We set out to solve what we feel this industry is lacking and after several years, we feel we have succeeded.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have definitely been obstacles which is pretty typical anytime you start a business. This industry isn’t new, but for us, building our treatment center felt very grassroots. We had all five owners wearing every possible hat in order to get our center off the ground, but it helped to have a very clear true north as we made decisions. Knowing everything needed to support our mission to help our clients achieve a better life long-term made things much clearer and easier.
Building a program that veered away from the status quo in our industry meant we didn’t have a template to replicate to start our treatment program. We had to create it on our own to truly align with our mission. Addiction is a tricky disease. It does not have a simple turnkey solution. Every client who walks through our doors has a unique background, a unique history with addiction and a templated treatment program doesn’t work. We knew the program we created had to be customized to the individual in order to have any long term success. Our program had to have the right clinical team and strategy to be able to meet the needs of all our clients.
A Better Life Recovery – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
A Better Life Recovery is more than a comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment center; our program goes a significant step further. We provide a transition back into life program. Many of our clients have never held a job or finished high school. We work side by side with our clients, to help them achieve milestones like receiving their GED, enrolling in college and securing a job. Additionally, we offer sober living up to 9 months so when clients are ready to move on from treatment they have, at minimum, one-year sobriety, a high school diploma, and a job. This level of care helps set clients up for greater success as they transition into their new healthy and better life.
We are outcomes driven and we aren’t afraid to be nimble and shift how we are doing something if we feel it will produce more effective results for our clients. Knowing we are dealing with a very unique group of people with individual experiences, we understand and are comfortable looking objectively at our program and making the necessary adjustments if needed to be most effective.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is being the best at what you do. We set out several years ago to do something truly different within our overly saturated space that isn’t known for providing stellar care. We believe that if you provide a quality product, the results will follow, which is the ultimate sign that what you’ve created is working.
Contact Info:
- Address: 30310 Rancho Viejo Road
San Juan Capistrano
CA 92675 - Website: https://abetterliferecovery.com/
- Phone: 844-522-7887
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abetterliferecovery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abetterliferecovery/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BetterRecovery
Image Credit:
A Better Life Recovery
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
