Harmony Road Recovery offers a fresh start for those struggling with addiction

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Recovering from addiction can be frustrating and isolating. But Harmony Road Recovery is a full-service outpatient program right here in the borderland that is changing lives every day.

"When you are in that downward spiral of addiction you don't have a lot of places left  to turn.  Eventually your family stops answering the phone.  Eventually your friends drop, one by one," says Tyler Hays. He works at Harmony Road, inspiring and encouraging others with his addiction recovery story, which includes a time when he was a client at this same facility.

 "It was a solid year of heavy use and I've been sober and clean now for 3 years. I didn't think I would have many options left after burning the bridges I did. I'm embarrassed by some of the things I've done but that doesn't mean they define me," Hays says.

Current program participants tell us it means a lot to be mentored and taught by those who have walked in their shoes. Especially after a relapse, it's important to have someone to talk to who understands the situation.

Harmony Road is a full-service outpatient program in which a team of professionals creates personalized treatment plans for each patient. They focus on mental health and substance abuse. There is also a sober living housing area with 27 rooms. This year there's a garden growing, thanks to a partnership with the National Immigrant Farming Initiative.

"I was a bad drug addict.  This place, it saved my life and now I'm an operating partner.  I work in the garden and it helps me get my mind off everything else.  Your hands get dirty and you see the progress day by day," says Harmony Road employee Jose Reyes.

For anyone who feels they're battling addiction alone, Harmony Road is like an extended hand.

Tyler Hays says it's important for El Pasoans to know there's a group here that genuinely cares about them rebuilding their lives.

"There's a stigma they think oh, they're worthless members of society that need to be thrown away.  But stuff like this where we're growing and beautifying the community I hope to end that stigma.  You plant the seed, you work it and it grows into something beautiful in the end of the day," Reyes says. Positive words from a man who says he is piecing his life back together after it was ruined by addiction.

The program at Harmony Road is all about accessibility, no matter where their clients are. Participants can even take part on their cell phones. For more information, click on this link: https://www.harmonyroadrecovery.org/