Rose Stone
The power of example can be inspirational. It can be life changing, just ask Rose Stone. From the age of 14, until she was 30, Rose used drugs to get by. But in December 2014, she found her way to North Suffolk’s Meridian House and her life changed, for the better.
“My life was running around Mass Ave, getting high,” said Rose. “I had no structure, nothing of value. I had kids but I lost custody of all of them.” When she showed up at Meridian House she “came as is, just a broken person.”
Rose had no intention of going to treatment. Her husband was mandated to treatment as part of his probation, but wouldn’t go unless Rose went. And she did. After detox, Rose chose further treatment. She turned to her brother, who is sober, for help. Having gone through Meridian House himself, he helped her get in there.
“I told myself I was just going to complete this, if I want to go backwards when I finish, I can do that,” Rose told herself.
Rose appreciated all the guidance from staff and how they reflected all the things she wanted in life. For example, there were staff who had lost custody of their kids, and now regained custody. “It was powerful because someone who was in the exact same shoes as me was exactly where I wanted to be,” Rose said.
Rose graduated from Meridian in 2016, the same year her husband passed away. Despite this tragedy, she stayed sober. The outreach, love, and care she received from North Suffolk staff and others during that difficult time was extraordinary. Rose worked three jobs to make ends meet, she was a house manager at Campbell House in Revere, worked at Gavin Foundation, and also worked at a salad place.
In 2019, Rose accepted a Recovery Coach position at North Suffolk’s Recovery on the Harbor and soon she was promoted to Program Director.
Rose has a great relationship with her two boys, who were legally adopted a while back and received custody of her daughter about a year ago. “I don’t have to work three jobs now,” Rose said. Adding, “I can take my daughter and get her whatever she wants, I can even buy my son an iPhone.”