"Hi, my name is Velvet Mangan. In October 1993
I had 7 years of sobriety and had just had my second
baby.
I had suffered from postpartum depression and sought
to deepen my meditation skills. I was reading a
book that my brother in law gave to me called The
Game of Life and How to Play it By Florence Scovel
Shinn.
I was on the Board of Directors at the Costa Mesa,
CA Alano club and sponsoring many women in AA's
12 step program. The issue kept coming up, where
are women to go for a safe place to start recovery?
There was almost nothing for women in Orange County,
CA. I felt a lot of concern about this, but never
even considered starting a recovery home; it just
never came into my mind. The thought of getting
a house was really strong in my mind. I didn't understand
this because I was perfectly happy in the house
that I had but it was a very strong thought just
the same. I kept doing my prayer and meditation
and I felt more connected to God then ever .
My mother called and expressed the desire to get
clean and sober. I took her to my brother in law's
outpatient treatment center and while I was sitting
in the interview with them, I closed my eyes to
say the Serenity Prayer. When I opened my eyes there
was a clear picture: "The Drunk in the Bunk"
which depicts Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob helping a
bedridden alcoholic to sober up. And the strong,
clear thought came "Start a women's recovery
home". This took me by surprise but I didn't
question it, it was to strong. I started looking
in the newspaper for a house to rent. There was
a two bedroom house for $725.00 per month, but the
problem was that I didn't have enough money to spare
for the house. However, the thought was so strong
that I felt compelled to call about the house and
go see it. When I arrived at the house, I fell in
love with it. The owner told me that if I could
come up with $800.00, that I could have the house
and pay off the security deposit slowly as the money
came in.
I told my husband what had happened and he suggested
that I try to find a partner. I called just about
everyone that I knew. There was only one person
interested, and when I told him that God was going
to be in charge, he laughed at me and told me that
we had to run it like a business and that we would
have to think big. That didn't feel good to me so
I thanked him for his time and went to say a prayer.
I picked up my book The Game of Life and How to
Play it and opened up to this statement: "I
am as necessary to God as He is to me, for I am
the channel to bring His plan to pass." I felt
incredibly inspired by this, and so did my husband.
In fact, he offered to sell his van for the cause!
We got exactly $800.00 for it and I rushed the money
to the manager. By the next week we were in the
house.
Since then, Safe Harbor has helped thousands of
women find their way into recovery. At Safe Harbor,
we pride ourselves on love, care, and meeting all
the unique needs of a woman. Safe Harbor became
a licensed Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. With
20 years of experience, and some of the best counselors
in the field, Safe Harbor is an extraordinary program
that offers only the best care. Each woman's journey
is unique, and Safe Harbor is a great place to start
that journey."
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