My New York Experience by Rick K.

The New York campus in a nut shell was an intense growing experience. With the help of Kelly Egan, I learned what it means to live from the Core. The Core, or more exactly my Core, is where all true emotions lie. When I ’ m experiencing, life through my core, I experience peace and a feeling of being content with life. Kelly also introduced to me the CODA program (Codependences Anonymous). Through this separate 12 step program, I found what I believe to be the root of my addiction/alcoholism. I stand tall today with a greater self-esteem and sense of belonging that I ever had before. In my whole stay at Gatehouse Academy, the New York campus gave me the most “emotional sobriety”. I am able today to identify exactly how I feel and why I feel this way. Before, I had trouble with simply knowing what happiness was. New York was more that emotional work. Much more took place there.

At Gatehouse Academy I’ve had the opportunity to work with and care for horses. I’ve loved every minute of it. Once I completed the New York campus, my knowledge of horse’s increased ten fold. I learned what the horse industry is actually about. Much more than riding a horse goes into it all. Breeding, training, auctioning and racing are but a few of the many aspects of the business. The owners of haven Oaks, Jim and Sue, did everything they could to expose us to the horse business. There kindness towards all horses sparked my interest all the more. It was a pleasure to work with them.

The greatest experience of the New York campus was to get a real feel for what “living the program” meant. I was placed in an environment that greatly resembled working in a job life style. There I learned the importance of “suiting up and showing up” to all of my engagements regarding the farm. I was then placed in a position where I had to uphold a level of integrity in work and my living accommodations. It simply became routine to pick up a little mess here and there and to have more consideration for my roommates.

In those two months of being in New York, I firmly believe I wanted sobriety. Not just because I’m at Gatehouse Academy, but because life truly can be enjoyable in every sense of the word. I now believe I can offer something to others and I can be a useful person in life. I hope that everyone here can get this unique and wonderful experience. It did more for me than I ever imagined possible.