“I’m Vin, and I’m an alcoholic, a Catholic priest, and a proud graduate of Guest House.” I have been told that when I speak about my recovery journey, I simply share my experience, strength, and hope. I share what I was like, what happened, and what I’m like now.

My story is both similar to and different from my fellow Guest House alums. When I arrived in Lake Orion in November of 2019, I was nine years abstinent from alcohol, but I was not sober. I tried to do recovery on my own. I did not drink; I went to meetings regularly, and I was doing therapy. And yet, I was still struggling. I came to realize that it wasn’t because I wasn’t doing enough or that I did the steps “wrong”—I just needed more help, more time, and more space to get better.

Healing beyond abstinence

At Guest House, I learned that alcoholism is an illness, not a moral failing. I learned that my illness has spiritual, emotional, physical, and psychological components. I learned, as well, that alcoholism is treatable. My counselors helped me bring to light experiences that I suffered as a child—traumatic experiences I needed more help to process. The community of men and women in recovery and the supportive professional staff members at Guest House provided me with a safe space to heal. In many ways, my early childhood experiences had crippled me emotionally. At Guest House, I learned how to walk again!

The continuing care program that follows residential treatment was also invaluable for me. This program, which stretched two years after my stay in Lake Orion, helped me transition back into full-time ministry. It is a reminder to me that recovery is a lifelong journey. As the Big Book says, there is no cure for alcoholism. What we have is a daily reprieve based on our spiritual condition.