MARYANNE
Sobriety Date: May 28, 2024
Resident at SOS: July 2024 to January 2026
My experience with Sisters of Sobriety (SOS) has truly changed my life. Under the guidance, care, and love of Angie and Rick Kazemier, I have been able to rediscover who I am at my core and begin healing from things I never thought I could face.
Along the way, I have built deep, lifelong friendships with women who uplift and understand me. That support means everything.
I entered SOS in July 2024. In October 2024, I received my certificate and celebrated being coined.
After my coin out celebration, I stepped into the role of House Manager, where I served for 13 months. During that time, I gained experience, strength, and hope, along with the knowledge and compassion to help others on their own journeys.
This transformation has shown me the power of connection, courage, and choosing a new path forward.
SUSIE
Sobriety Date: Dec 1, 2025
Resident at SOS: August 15, 2024 to December 10, 2024
SOS gave me so much that I didn’t even know I needed. It gave me structure when I had none. For the first time in my life, I was able to get along with other women and feel like I truly belonged.
Angie was understanding, and I felt like SOS genuinely wanted to see me grow and become a better person. I wasn’t treated like just another addict, I felt seen.
This was, by far, was my favorite sober living experience, and I have experienced many.
My sobriety date is December 1, 2025.
Since leaving SOS, my life has completely changed.
I earned my CNA license and have had a job that I love for over a year. I have repaired my relationships with my family. I welcomed a beautiful baby girl into my life and found a man who treats me the way I deserve to be treated.
I now have a home of my own. I am actively working a NA program and am currently on Step 4. I also successfully completed probation, for the first time in five years.
My life today is night and day from where I was. I never thought I would have the life I have now.
And it all started with getting clean, when I finally realized that I am worth it and that I deserve happiness.
KRYSTAL
Sobriety Date: September 1, 2025
Resident at SOS: June to July 2025, September 1, 2025 to March 2026
My story starts like many others, on the brink of death. We all face trials and struggles, but mine took me to the ICU Twenty three times in five years. I am a Type 1 diabetic and an addict. I reached a point where I hoped I would just pass away in the hospital. I told myself it wouldn’t be suicide, but in reality, I was slowly killing myself.
Everything changed the day I chose to get drunk on my son’s sweet sixteen. Around that time, my mom found Sisters of Sobriety on Facebook. Little did I know, that was a God shot, He was calling me home.
I will never forget the four words that changed my life when I walked into SOS:
“Do you trust me?”
Those words came from The Co-Founder of Sisters of Sobriety, and for the first time in a long time, I said yes. In that moment, something shifted. I trusted for the right reasons. I trusted the program. I had faith.
There are not enough words to express my gratitude for SOS. I am alive today because of Angie, Rick, and Dr. Melissa Wallager. Today, I want to live.
Through this program, I found my voice, my self-worth, and my identity, things I had lost for so long.
I spent a total of eight months at Sisters of Sobriety. On day one, I was called “Baby Cry-A-Lot.” They said it was healing, I say it was fear. But as my journey continued, they taught me how to find my voice, build confidence, and truly find myself.
When I arrived, I had been approved for disability. But as I slowly gained confidence, I found a job. I walked to work through sub-degree temperatures all winter long, and for the first time, I felt purpose.
During my time at SOS, I earned certifications through Dr. Wallager as a Resident Advocate and House Manager. I am now pursuing CCAR to become a Recovery Coach, with hopes of becoming an RN.
My passion is to be a woman in recovery on the front lines, so when someone walks through the doors of an ER, they are met by someone who understands, someone who can relate.
And I will ask them the same four words that changed my life forever:
“Do you trust me?”
KATIE
Sobriety Date: September 16, 2018
Resident at SOS: September 16, 2018 to March 16, 2019
On September 14, 2018, I got on a Greyhound bus, taking four days from Texas to Michigan, to find my way to this amazing house of help called Sisters of Sobriety.
My Grandparents came to TX to drive my son to Michigan with them, due to an open CPS case, I was no longer able to be around my son, and they took guardianship of him.
I arrived on September 16, 2018—my first day of recovery.
Before I even got on that bus, I made sure to call Angie every single day for a week, so she knew I was serious about getting my life on track.
My stay at SOS was from September 16, 2018 to March 16, 2019. During that time, I found peace, serenity, forgiveness, and happiness. I learned patience, growth, and understanding. Today, I walk with my shoulders back and my head held high.
I have gained confidence in myself and in others. I now have 7½ years clean, and I owe that to the work I was willing to do, and to SOS, especially Angie and Rick, who helped guide me along the way.
My accomplishments have been full time employment for 7 yrs, bought my own home, and the most important accomplishment was to gain full physical custody of my son.
The following statement is more real than most people, inside and outside of recovery, truly understand.
“If nothing changes, nothing changes.”
ASHLEIGH
Sobriety Date: April 10. 2020
Resident at Sisters of Sobriety: May 2020 to November 2020
On April 10, 2020, I went to rehab for my third attempt. When I arrived, I was broken and desperate. I had nowhere to live. My two children had been taken by Child Protective Services and were living with my mom. My family had completely cut me out of their lives. I was in an extremely toxic relationship, couldn’t keep a job, and had nothing but a backpack full of clothes.
After being in rehab for a month, they recommended sober living. I applied to a couple places, one was back in the area where I used, and the other was Sisters of Sobriety. I didn’t want to go to SOS at first because I thought it was faith-based, and I didn’t know where I stood with God. But the first place was full, and SOS had a bed open.
In May of 2020, I went to Sisters of Sobriety, and that decision changed my life.
While I was there, they had me take a hard look at myself. They introduced me to the Twelve Steps and helped me learn how to set boundaries. I began focusing on myself so I could become the best version of me for others. I learned how to have fun in recovery and experienced things like retreats that I had never been a part of before.
Being part of this sisterhood was something I had never experienced. I was loved unconditionally until I could finally love myself again.
Most importantly, they took me to church, and that is where I found my relationship with God. I was baptized, and while I was there, I felt the heaviness of my burdens lift. That is where I finally surrendered.
In November of 2020, I graduated from Sisters of Sobriety. Since then, I have held a job, gotten my own place, and enrolled in college. I have rebuilt relationships with my family, which led to the opportunity to see my children again after two years of no contact.
Today, my kids get to see their mom healthy for the first time ever. I have also met my fiancé, whom I will marry in April 2026. For the first time in my life, I am in a healthy relationship.
Sisters of Sobriety taught me to live with purpose and faith. Because of that, I am now living a life I never could have imagined.
COURTNEY
Sobriety Date: May 18, 2024
Resident at SOS: 2024 and Nov 2025 to present, now Alumni House Manager
In 2024, I walked into Sisters of Sobriety, and a seed was planted. I left and went back out, still searching.
I ended up getting on a plane to Michael’s House Rehab in Palm Springs, California. I stayed there for 18 months and got sober. During that time, I was hired as a pharmacy clerk, got my own place, and started rebuilding my life, but something was still missing.
Recovery.
I called Angie for months asking, “Can I come back?”
Her answer was simple: “Yes, come home.”
That was all I needed to hear.
In November 2025, I walked away from my job and used the last of my money to take a four-day train ride back to Michigan.
I returned to Sisters of Sobriety on November 20, 2025, with no job and starting over again.
But I had something more important, a safe place to be, a place to recover, and a place where I was supported.
Because of that, today I have 22 months sober, just for today.
My sobriety date is May 18, 2024.
Since returning to SOS, I have gotten a part-time job at a pizza shop. I completed training and received my Resident Advocate certification, as well as my House Manager certification. I completed the program and was coined for the second time.
Today, I serve as the House Manager at Sisters of Sobriety.
I now get to give to other women what was so freely given to me, and for that, I am forever grateful.
LEEAH
Sobriety Date: November 2, 2022.
Resident at SOS: January 10. 2023 to February 2, 2024
My SOS journey started on January 10, 2023, I came directly there from Bear River Residential Treatment Center. When I first got to SOS, I was terrified. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I was going through a divorce, losing custody of my kids, and everything felt like it was falling apart.
At first, I wasn’t sure if I even liked it there. But the longer I stayed, the more I got involved and started putting in the work that needed to be done, I began to feel myself changing. My attitude started to shift.
I was learning how to love myself again and figure out who I was without drugs.
Going to SOS saved me. It was the best decision I could have made.
Rick and Angie have helped me so much in my journey and continue to do so. I am so grateful to have SOS in my life.
I have been sober for 3½ years. My sobriety date is November 2, 2022.
HEATHER
Sobriety Date: August 17, 2022
Resident at Sisters of Sobriety: 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, August 17, 2022 to 2023
My name is Heather, and my sobriety date is August 17, 2022. I first came to Sisters of Sobriety in 2019. From the moment I arrived, I knew it was exactly what I needed to begin rebuilding my life.
On February 14, 2020, I left SOS and drank again. I returned on February 29, 2020, ready to try again, this time with a better understanding of my powerlessness. After some time, I was given the opportunity to give back by serving as the Resources Coordinator at Sisters of Sobriety.
In 2021, I moved and relapsed again. Addiction and alcoholism had taken me back down, but I knew I wanted sobriety. I returned to SOS on August 17, 2022, and once again, I was welcomed with open arms, love, and acceptance.
When SOS moved to Big Rapids, I had the opportunity to help set up the house, support the women, and become part of the community as House Manager. That experience meant everything to me.
Today, I love my sober life. I am grateful for the chance to help other women find recovery, just as I did. I am now proud to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for Sisters of Sobriety.
DANIELLE, (Dani)
Sobriety Date: October 29, 2021
Resident at Sisters of Sobriety: March 2022 – July 2022
I came to Sisters of Sobriety fresh out of jail, lost, confused, and more scared than I had ever been in my life. I was scared of myself and unsure of where to turn without the proper help I needed to stay sober outside of the walls that had kept me sober.
I walked into SOS one person and walked out a completely different one.
Angie, Rick, and Melissa saved my life. They helped me begin to take back everything I had lost to addiction, one step at a time. SOS showed me a new way to live. The program is simple, if you follow what has worked for others before you. “The program works if you work it.”
I watched. I listened. I did the work.
I am forever grateful. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for the opportunity and the door that opened when I walked into SOS. That door led me into a new way of living, and I will forever be proud of the woman I am today.
What does SOS mean to me?
FREEDOM.
A breath of fresh air that I couldn’t find while living in the depths of addiction. SOS pulled me out of my darkness and showed me light.
SOS saved me.
CARA
Sobriety Date: November 13, 2024
Resident at Sisters of Sobriety: December 20, 2024 to December 15, 2025
November 13, 2024 is the day my life began again. When I arrived at Sisters of Sobriety on December 20, 2024, fresh out of residential treatment, I carried both hope and uncertainty. I knew I wanted something different, but I didn’t yet know who I was without the weight of my past. In those early days, I learned to sit with myself in a way I never had before, honest, raw, and willing.
Slowly, through structure, support, and the power of connection, I began to understand that recovery wasn’t just about staying sober—it was about rebuilding a life I could be proud of.
Over the next year, I discovered parts of myself that had been buried for so long. I found my voice, my identity, and a level of self-confidence I never thought possible. I learned how to manage my life with intention, how to show up for myself and others, and how to lead with authenticity. Along the way, I was blessed with incredible experiences, traveling, trying new things, sharing laughter over great food, and forming friendships that will last a lifetime.
Each moment, big or small, helped shape me into someone stronger, more compassionate, and deeply rooted in love, for myself and for others.
When I left on December 15, 2025, I wasn’t the same person who had walked in. I left as an alumna, as a leader, and as someone who truly understands the gift of recovery.
It was suggested I apply to become a Certified Recovery Coach, I took the training, became certified, and I will be interning at Sisters Of Sobriety.
Sisters of Sobriety gave me more than sobriety, it gave me a life filled with purpose, connection, and hope.
Today, I carry that with me wherever I go, committed to giving back what was so freely given to me.
My journey is proof that transformation is possible, and that with willingness, support, and love, we can become more than we ever imagined.
BERNADETTE
Recovery date: December 11, 2020
Resident at Sisters of Sobriety: May 2020-August 2020
From the moment I entered Sisters of Sobriety, I was enveloped in a comprehensive support system provided by the staff and fellow clients, laying the groundwork for my transformative journey of recovery.
This program served as a beacon of hope, illuminating my path to growth and healing through a profound sharing-is-caring approach, where I felt secure and trusted.
The staff provided expert guidance with clear directives, and the more I invested in my program, the more I reaped the benefits. My therapist was a pillar of support, offering a balanced blend of empathy and constructive honesty, with a meticulous approach that helped me confront my challenges.
Through a multifaceted program incorporating one-on-one counseling, group work, meditation, and fitness sessions, I was empowered to reclaim my former vitality, emerging stronger in mind, body, and spirit.
From the depths of my heart, I extend my sincerest gratitude to the exceptional staff and fellow clients at Sisters of Sobriety for helping me rediscover my inner strength, shed the weights that had held me back, and unlock a life of purpose and fulfillment.
You have not only restored my sanity but have also equipped me with a comprehensive toolkit to navigate life's challenges with confidence and resilience, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
With gratitude, Bernadette