Living My Life Like It's Golden: A Second Chance at Prom Night

By Staff Writer

A chance to do it all again is the one wish many recovering addicts share. After losing years of their lives to drugs and alcohol and damaging relationships with family and friends, many of the clients at Carolina Treatment Center long for a second chance to live again – this time, making better decisions along the way.

Sober fun and a second chance to relive some of life’s most exciting moments are exactly what clients at Carolina Treatment Center experienced last September at prom night. Clients at all stages of recovery and their family and friends, joined by staff members from the center, dressed in formal gowns and suits for dinner and dancing at Docks at the Capitol.

The more than 70 people in attendance were treated to stories from speakers about their struggles with addiction and awards and recognition for staff members’ excellent work at the center.

The entire community chipped in to bring the theme, “Living My Life Like It’s Golden,” to life and make prom night unforgettable. The restaurant donated the use of the grand ballroom, a DJ and photographer donated their services, a local salon styled hair for the female guests, and about 300 gowns and suits were donated to the event.

One client, Christina Woods, who has been a patient with the center for three years, said she was touched by how the community came together to make the evening possible and support the recovery effort.

"They don't look down on us for what we have done in our past," she said.

At Carolina Treatment Center, getting drug treatment marks an important milestone – an opportunity to celebrate recovery and create new memories as clients embark on a new stage of life.