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Paul Sanders carried his years-old addictions with him to college, where they blossomed. He got the boot from school but when granted a second chance, he earned a degree. Unfortunately, his substance use continued through it all. Eventually, drugs robbed him of his wife, family, and a six-figure career. He has lived under a bridge, in a homeless shelter, and in prison, when he spent 18 1/2 years for crimes committed to support his drug use. He found sobriety via a 12-step program.

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John Kelly will mark 13 years in recovery in December 2025. At the age of 16, in an effort to fit in with his peers, he smoked marijuana for the first time. A year later, he was in prison. Until he was 53, using drugs to escape reality seemed like the solution to his problems. Then, he checked into rehab. Now, he credits his higher power, his sponsor in a 12-step program, and his focus on giving back to others suffering from the disease of addiction bringing him a better life than he ever could have imagined.

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Both of Rachel Price's parents and her first husband battled addiction. When Rachel's first child was 6 months old, her mother died after an overdose. She learned to be strong and stand on her own two feet out of necessity, and for a long time did not understand how trauma had impacted her life. Eventually, she decided she wanted to be a cop, in large part to help people whose alcohol and other drug addictions brought them into contact with law enforcement. Someone at Randolph Community College in Asheboro suggested she take a look at the field of social and human services, specifically addiction and recovery services. She did and discovered her calling.