About ShareHouse

For over 40 years ShareHouse has served adults, and the families of those challenged by alcoholism, substance abuse, and/or mental health disorders. Their one focus is helping clients begin and continue their lives in recovery. Services are offered on an Outpatient basis as well as Residentially.

www.sharehouse.org outside world, collapse back into their addictions, and continue to struggle. Some come back to try again. Some come back more than once.

“It takes a lot of courage to come back if you’re not making it out there,” Austin admits, “They’re afraid of the judgment. It’s human nature to wonder what people will think, what they will say. We welcome them back without question. We tell them we’re glad to have you back. This took a lot of courage.”

The little office filled with sunshine is also filled with mementos. Austin pulls a stack of cards from her desk drawer, reminders of the people she has served. She walks across the room and brings back a receipt with writing scrawled across its surface. She describes a day at Christmastime when she returned to find a $100 Wal-Mart gift card on her desk. On the back of the receipt was a note that read, “This is $100 for you to spend as you please. I was at ShareHouse 7 years ago at age 19. I was broke, homeless, hungry, and had very little hope. I have been sober since Oct. 17, 2005 and am no longer any of those things. This is a gift to you from someone who stayed long enough for the miracle to happen. Good Luck on your journey!!!”

Her eyes moisten as she says; “I could hardly read it without crying.”

If you ask Austin to describe herself she’ll tell you, “Hello, my name is Nancy Austin and I am a person in long term recovery. What this means is, I have not found it necessary to use alcohol for the last 31 years. Some of the benefits of my recovery are, I am a better spouse, a better mother, a better employee, a better friend and an awesome gramma! One of the rewards of my recovery is that my grandkids have never seen me under the influence.” [ aw