From Rock Bottom to Purpose: Roman’s Journey of Recovery and Redemption

Funded Partner SPOTLIGHT: INSIDE OUT RECOVERY

For many years of his life, Roman lived in the grip of addiction—a cycle of pain, numbing, and survival that kept him locked in a place he desperately wanted to escape. He had lost nearly everything—jobs, relationships, trust—but not his ability to get back up. Time and time again, despite being knocked down, Roman found a way to rise. Today, he’s using that strength not just to rebuild his life, but to help others do the same.

Growing up in Northern New Mexico, Roman fell into substance use as a way to cope with deep emotional pain. “It’s what you do when you don’t want to talk about the hurt,” he says. Whether it was grief, failure, or just trying to survive, drugs became a temporary escape from life’s weight. But escape has consequences. Alongside addiction came run-ins with the law, a criminal record, and the mounting feeling that the world had given up on him.

But one person never did—his mother. In a moment of heart-wrenching clarity, she decided to step back. A sign telling her to “let your son go” gave her the strength to stop trying to rescue him. It was the push Roman needed. Her tough love became a turning point.

“I had to lose everything before I could find anything,” Roman reflects.

His first steps toward sobriety weren’t smooth. He’d build up the courage to attend recovery groups, only to slip back into old habits. “Learning how to just sit and listen was the breakthrough,” he says. Slowly, he began to pick up wisdom from others—holding onto what resonated and letting the rest go. Eventually, he was able to fight the urge to use, even collecting the substances people offered him in a jar—his own form of resistance.

He was finally ready to get his life back. But society wasn’t ready to welcome him.

Job after job turned him away because of his criminal record—until one day, Walmart gave him a chance. With structure, routine, and coworkers who saw his potential, Roman began to thrive. Then one incident unraveled it all. A shoplifter was caught—Roman was asked to intervene—and it was discovered that he himself had once shoplifted at that store years before. He lost his job. The world had knocked him down again.

“I came home and the jar was still there,” Roman remembers. “All that work to stay sober—and I was back where I started.”

That relapse was devastating. But it also brought clarity.

“A sponsor told me, ‘You were always going to relapse. You kept that jar,’” Roman says. “I had to fix my mindset, not just my life.”

It was through recovery groups that Roman met Josh from Inside Out, an organization that supports people in recovery and reentry. Josh understood Roman—not in theory, but in lived experience. With guidance, compassion, and real-life tools, Roman learned how to truly work on himself. And when he was ready, he began giving back.

Today, Roman has been working with Inside Out for over a decade. He leads support groups, mentors others, and does street outreach to connect with people still struggling—people like he once was. He doesn’t come with judgment. He comes with heart.

“You can’t fix your life if your toolbox is full of garbage,” he tells his groups. “You need the right tools. That’s what we’re here for.”

The greatest reward? Hearing his mother say she can finally sleep at night. “That’s when I knew I’d really recovered,” Roman says. “When your family finds peace, you know you’ve done something right.”

Thanks to Roman’s strength and the support of Inside Out, countless others are finding their own way out—off the streets, out of addiction, and toward a life of purpose. Roman’s story is proof that even the hardest journeys can lead to hope—and that one person’s recovery can spark a ripple of healing through an entire community.

United Way Northern New Mexico is proud to support the vital work of Inside Out through the Community Action Fund—ensuring those ready to turn their lives around have the support they need to succeed. If stories like Roman’s inspire you, consider donating to Inside Out and/or the Community Action Fund. Together, we can keep this work going strong. United is the way to build community.