Success Stories

paying $500.00 cash to come straight here to the Bryan Clay House in Cullman, Alabama. What did you experience while being at the Bryan Clay House?
I’ve experienced that before you can move forward with your life, you need to focus on what matters most in your future: family, kids, your self-esteem and confidence, as well as getting motivated for the future with the help of God and others. How did it help prepare you to move forward to take your next steps toward a successful life?
It prepared me by motivating me to be successful in every aspect of my life; that if you believe and have faith in his word and Jesus, that He will take you towards the successful path that God has placed you on in life. What were some of the key things that you learned?
I have learned that in life to be a leader not a follower, struggling Is a part of life learning to deal with it on regular basis with build your strength to overcome obstacles in life and achieve your goals in any situation. And what would you want others to know about the Bryan Clay House?
If you or a loved one is having trouble with substance abuse or being released from prison or jails, and are unable to get help, feel free to contact the local County sheriff’s office or The Bryan Clay House. You can talk directly to one of the staff members or Albert Pugh, John Means, John Augustine, directors of the facility for help in your situation. It is a great opportunity to connect with your community and your family in every aspect of your lives. What progress have you made since your arrival at the Bryan Clay House?
Since my stay here at the Bryan Clay House, I’ve become the manager of the transportation and a full-time van driver in charge of maintenance of the vehicles and their upkeep. I also transport men back and forth to work and assist them with obtaining jobs all over town with the temp agencies here in our community. We are connected with all sorts of jobs hiring in Cullman County and I love seeing the men of the Bryan Clay House working and moving forward in their lives!

after sixteen years in a monogamous relationship, I happened to find messages that indicated that my wife was having an extramarital relationship with another man. Ultimately, this led to a divorce. This had a very deep and profound effect on me. In just a matter of a few months, I lost everything that I worked my entire life for.
To make matters worse, my best friend died around this same period of time and the combined events took me to a place, emotionally, that was very dark. I began drinking very heavily, using Meth, Heroin, and L.S.D. I was homeless therefore I had to rely on friends to provide me shelter. Eventually, my friends and family grew tired of my self-destructive lifestyle and turned their backs on me as well. I was truly alone. There was another lady that I had started a relationship with during the “dark days”, but this relationship was toxic and I found that she wanted me around only when she “wanted me around”.
One day I reached the proverbial “bottom” that I had heard other people describe. I had finally had enough and I wanted something different. I was literally exhausted and defeated. I could not stand the reflection that I saw in the mirror. I had six dollars and the clothes on my back to my name. I decided to trust God to help me until I could help myself. I reached out to my ex-wife to help me get to “The Link”. It was there that things began to change. I learned of a program called “The Bryan Clay House” and intuitively knew that this was where I needed to be. The sober atmosphere was exactly what I needed to begin to put the pieces of my life back together. They helped me to obtain all of my identification credentials, they helped me find employment, and they provided transportation to and from work. The classes that I took while in the program helped me to set obtainable goals and I could tell the staff really cared about my success.
I still attend classes there and try to give back a portion of what I have received. I am clean and sober. My wife and I have reconciled. I have begun to rebuild relationships that were damaged during the “dark days”, and there is no doubt in my mind that none of this would be possible without the help I received at the Bryan Clay House.

Once I was cleared for my pretrial release, Mike, the house manager at the time, picked me up and took me there. I was never really addicted to drugs themselves, it was the money that came with selling weed I was addicted to. I didn’t even smoke, which allowed my income to increase even more. In my opinion, money is more addicting than any drug there is out there. I had been selling since I was 15, in and out of jail, rehab, boot camp, etc. I couldn’t see the hurt I was putting on my family by doing these things just to make some extra money. By the time I was 21, I had “bossed up” and had flipped the script on my old connections. Before I knew it, I was at a point where I couldn’t just get out of the game even if I wanted to. But thank the Lord in Heaven he made a way to show me what I was doing wasn’t the right path to be going down.
I was at the Brian Clay House for about 4 months and in the time I was there I had gained back qualities that I had lost since chasing money. Self-worth, integrity, patience, etc. I would say that the thing that helped me the most while staying there was the round table group meetings we had every Thursday. Every week was a different topic talking about some of the qualities I just mentioned. I have been home for about 2 months now. I just moved into a new house and I have a mechanic job that I couldn’t be happier doing what I love. Thank you to all the staff members at the Bryan Clay House. And may God bless you all!

and I stayed in contact with him until I was released from prison. Upon my release, I became a resident of the Bryan Clay House on Thanksgiving weekend of 2022.
What did you experience while you lived at the Bryan Clay House?
I experienced so much. There were a lot of ups and downs, but It was where I found myself and regained my confidence. I am proud of myself because of all that I have accomplished so far, and it brought me to a place where I could believe in myself again.
How did it help prepare you to move forward to take your next steps toward a successful life?
It gave me the courage and ability. The most important part is that you have to believe in yourself to move forward. It is part of letting go of the past. I was able to do that while I was here.
What were some of the key things that you learned?
Self-control. Resistance. And to stay away from things, even though they were right in front of you. I learned not to follow the crowds, but to be a leader. And you know, to be myself again.
And what would you want others to know about the Bryan Clay House?
It is a great place. You come in here and you have all the opportunity in the world to create the life you want, but it is up to you to create that life. You are given all the tools for success, but you have to learn how to use them and that you need to use them. There are great people here. Everyone is willing to help each other. I love it. It was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life.
If you could put your finger on one thing that helped you decide to make changes in your life, what would it be?
It would probably be not wanting to have anything to do with the old me. Everyone says they want to go back to the old me, but I wanted nothing to do with the old me. That person is long dead and gone.
And what are you doing now that you have moved out of the Bryan Clay House?
I am living in a two-bedroom apartment. I have a full-time job at Topre and I am also going back to school to be a paralegal. Things are going great and I am moving forward.