Meet Millie (SC #324). Despite growing up in a stable home and with a loving family, Millie found herself unable to create meaningful friendship. As she reflects, “For a long time, I was just really lonely and sad…Nobody ever wanted to be around me.”
These feelings of isolation led her to seek solace in substances, first with alcohol and then with a variety of drugs. A rapid downward spiral ended with her ar
rested on drug charges and unable to pay the $150 bail. Eventually the judge reached a negotiation—Millie could go to Healing Transitions instead of serving her time.
When she first got to Healing Transitions, “I had lost all respect for myself”, says Millie. It wasn’t until she was assigned to kitchen duty that she formed her first meaningful relationships with Chef Trisa and Chef Mary. “Those two women had such a huge impact on my recovery.”
Slowly but surely, Millie came out of her shell and the Healing Transitions community began to instill more confidence in herself. She eventually completed the program and the Millie that once couldn’t form any meaningful relationships disappeared. Millie became a mentor to other women starting their recovery journey and often taught classes because “I loved meeting the new girls, even when I had time off, I would go back to the campus and try to teach some classes. I just loved it.”
Today, Millie is getting ready to graduate from nursing school at Wake Tech and is co-founder of Active Adventure with her partner, Bryan.
Meet Bryan (SC #913). Bryan was a rebellious teen, often getting suspended for fighting and the consequences only got worse after graduating high school. Frequent jail visits and spiraling addiction led him to multiple but failed attempts at rehab. In the background, Bryan experienced intense abdominal pain but his substance use allowed him to ignore the symptoms and procrastinate treatment.
It wasn’t unt
il he stumbled into a detox center (while intoxicated) that the most serious consequence of his life would manifest. The abdominal pain he had ignored for so long was pancreatitis from alcohol abuse and Bryan was in a coma and wouldn’t wake for another 10 days. “I was on my deathbed, and that’s what it took for me to seriously consider changing the way I was living my life,” he says.
Fortunately, Bryan survived and after a recovery period, he entered the Healing Transitions program. It was unlike any other rehab he had been to—people called him by his name, showed him kindness, and he saw himself in other participants. He credits the 12-step meetings and the Healing Transitions with saving his life.
Today, Bryan works to maintain his recovery everyday, not because he fears a return to use, but because he wants to live to his full potential. Part of that is being Executive Director and the other co-founder of Active Adventure with Millie.
Meet Active Adventure. When Millie and Bryan met, they didn’t just share being in recovery, but an apartment complex! Neighbors quickly became partners after realizing that they had many similarities–especially being able to find solace in the outdoors.
When reflecting on his time at Healing Transitions, Bryan recounts the walk to the Dix Park Chapel, “I just remember walking through the park and starting to notice the green trees and the blue sky and nature again. I started to appreciate those simple things and that park became a sanctuary for me at that time in my life.”
So, when Bryan came to Millie with the idea of starting an outdoorsy outlet for other Healing Transitions participants and alumni, she immediately agreed. Their first idea was simple, “there’s a trail that leads from the Women’s Campus through the park, so we put up a sign-up sheet and invited people to join us.”
And with that, Active Adventure was born.
Active Adventure offers more than outdoor fun—it builds a strong community of support, accountability, and encouragement in recovery. Research shows that helping others in recovery strengthens one’s own, and this group provides that opportunity through hiking, kayaking, swimming, and exploring across North Carolina.
“I love nature and hiking, but what I’ve enjoyed most is the fellowship and connections,” shared Millie. Brian agrees, saying, “The most important part of recovery is the fellowship—the sense of belonging.”
That sense of connection is exactly what Millie and Brian aim to create with every trip—a “no concern zone” where people in recovery can step away from daily pressures, enjoy nature, and simply be present together.
Interested in joining the next Active Adventure adventure with Millie, Bryan and some new friends in recovery?
Contact Information:
Phone: 919-332-1690
Website: active-adventure.org
Instagram: @activeadventure_est.2013
Facebook: Active Adventure