My name is Robert and yes, I am an addict and an alcoholic. The first time I said those words was in 1986 at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. I was 15 years old fighting back tears, my mother sat next to me and could not hold hers in. We sat in a room filled with mostly middle aged strangers at a local rec center.
“Self will run riot” and hopelessness had brought me to that room desperate for a way out of my living hell. It was the first time I admitted drugs, alcohol and specifically crack cocaine were more powerful than me and I was completely defenseless to change the course of my out of control life. Like many in recovery that was only the beginning. After several more arrests, seventy-two hour hold, failed trips to rehab and counseling and a lot of juvenile justice system intervention, I surrendered. I was court ordered to The Solidarity Fellowship in San Mateo, CA.
Under care and direction of Mike Shinkle I lived for just under 4 years (that’s about 20 in addict years). It was run by people just like me, other addicts and alcoholics. They had been where I had been, seen what I had seen and existed as I did. They knew me better than I knew myself. And they hadn’t just read it in books, they had lived it. That SLE (sober living environment) provided the structure, accountability, wisdom and love to help me apply 12 step programs to my life while I “learned to live life on life’s terms” instead of Roberts terms.
Today, by the grace of God I have over 30 years clean and sober. I’ve stayed involved in recovery at various levels throughout my life and worked with recovery people professionally and personally the majority of my adult life. I started a painting company over 20 years ago and it now operates in two locations, the SF Bay Area and Sacramento serving customers all over California.
The passion I have for recovery has always been the pilot light that burns inside of me. Watching the problems of drug addiction, mental health and homelessness grow out of control in our state and the country is the fuel that has ignited my passion. The principals of the program leave me no option, “I must give away what I have if I hope to keep it”. It is time to apply my business success with my recovery success and give back to others in need and make a difference in society.
With the encouragement and guidance of my dear friend and former recovery brother, Brad Finlayson, we begin this new chapter of our lives, to “give back what had freely been given to us”. I used to ask Mike Shinkle, “How can I ever repay you for saving my life?” His answer, “son you go out there in the world and live your life and be your best and when people ask you how you did it, you tell them, Solidarity changed my life”. I promised him I would and I have indeed done that. Stella Solidarity Recovery Services is here to give back to society, serve and honor God and continue the legacy of Mike Shinkle.
President / Founder
