Allison’s LifeChange Story

Out of Hiding and Into New Life

After meeting a man, believing she was in love, getting engaged within eight months, moving over 2,500 miles away from her family and getting pregnant after three months of marriage, Allison felt happy but overwhelmed. She had a full-time career, a baby and a home to take care of. Three years later she was expecting her second child. All without family nearby to support her.Feeling lonely and isolated, Allison, who had been a social drinker in her early twenties, began drinking at home, alone, hiding it as best she could.

Behind Closed Doors

“I knew I was having a problem when I did it by myself — not socially but behind closed doors,” Allison says. What Allison thought she was hiding was obvious to her dad, Jack, who lived 2,500 miles away. “She just got progressively worse and worse,” Jack says. “You try to keep her positive, but it just kept repeating itself . . . I wanted to give up, but I couldn’t. I’m not going to give up on my daughter.”

Life or Death

Years went by, Allison and her husband divorced, and her addiction got so bad that she was hospitalized twice. “I probably should have been dead,” Allison says, remembering one of her blood alcohol readings.“I said, ‘The next time you go in there, you aren’t coming out,’” Jack said. Jack flew out and picked Allison up from the hospital and talked her into getting help. She called the Mission and joined our LifeChange program. Being surrounded by people who had struggled like she did gave Allison hope. She slowly stopped isolating herself and began sharing her story.

The Beauty of Transparency

“I got very close to a couple residents here that I had seen go through the change,” Allison says. “I saw them graduate, move out of here, get jobs, see their children and change through the process. I saw them still linked to this community and being mentors.” Seeing other women succeed helped Allison believe that she could, too. She says, “One of the biggest things that I learned is transparency. The more transparent I’ve been through this process and about my story, the more that people have been able to embrace me.”

Now, nearly two years sober and having graduated from LifeChange in August 2024, the change in Allison is undeniable.

Undeniable Change

Allison has a relationship with God, she attends church regularly, reads her Bible every morning, is connected to a supportive community here in Portland and no longer feels like she has to hide. “My children want to be around me . . . they are happy that I’m healthy. They’re happy that I’m alive,” Allison says. “Seeing them be happy with their mom made me want this all the more.” “We’ve all definitely seen the change in her,” Jack says. “Just the way she postures herself is completely different.” If it weren’t for God working through generous partners like you, Allison probably wouldn’t be alive. She certainly wouldn’t be thriving like she is today. “If I hadn’t come here, I would probably be dead on the side of the road somewhere,” she says. “This place has given me hope, courage, a community, new friends and new family.”