Step One: Sobriety

One year ago, Robert Loftin was living in the shadows.

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“I was suicidal, addicted to methamphetamines, ready to give up on life,” he told me. He lived in his car and was arrested for drug possession.

He had tried programs to get sober and off the street, but they didn’t take.

“I did the Springs Rescue Mission back in 2015,” he told me. “I stayed sober for two and a half years, but I white-knuckled it. And it didn’t work.”

After his arrest, his dad heard about a different kind of residential recovery program that was opening in two days that he thought could help his son, called Step Springs. It only accepted highly motivated men.

At Step Springs, “The community has a brotherhood,” said operations manager Robert Loftin. (Courtesy of Step Springs)

When he walked into Step, Robert immediately sensed something different. “It was a place where I walked in and I felt that individuals truly cared. It’s run by former addicts.…