Testimonials

Success Stories

“Since joining LifeStar my life is very different. I have hope in a once hopeless place. I am finding ways to connect with myself, my wife, and my God that fundamentally change how I interact with my world. Without LifeStar my marriage would be over and I would still be lost in my addiction. Instead my marriage is healing and I have found sobriety. I believe that with this program I will find true recovery.”

— Male Addict in Recovery

"In the LifeSTAR program, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Other women were in as much pain as I was. The program put me on a path that eventually led to my finding peace and healing—things that I thought I would never find again in my life."

— Female Addict in Recovery

“I once was lost but now am found”. John Newton’s sweet words from Amazing Grace perfectly describe how I feel having been through the LifeSTAR program. When I entered LifeSTAR I felt like there was little to no help for me. I thought that I was a disgusting human being, having struggled with my addiction to pornography for the last 17 years of my 31 year life. I was extremely down on myself. I had tried just about everything, desperate for a cure. I didn’t know where to turn. I was literally on the brink of losing everything, my wife and family, my job. My addiction had consumed my life leading to erratic behavior. This was not who I wanted to be, but it was who pornography and addiction made me to be. I had lost control. Until a friend referred me to Roubicek and Thacker Counseling, where I first learned of the LifeSTAR program. Although starting a new program and sharing my trials with new people was scary at first, the fear was not as great as the relief and strength I gained each week. Most of all, I started to see a glimmer of hope. As with any addiction recovery, my path has not been without temptation and struggles. But the tools that LifeSTAR has provided to me have been invaluable. Literally, LifeSTAR saved my life. Today I am proud to say that I am 2 years 122 days pornography free! I am forever grateful to the people at Central Valley LifeSTAR for caring about me and showing me that I do have worth and value, despite my struggles and imperfection. Words cannot express my gratitude enough. My hope is that the LifeSTAR message can get out to all those in need. Thank you LifeSTAR!!”

— Male Addict in Recovery

“LifeSTAR has opened my eyes to the need for making healthy, genuine connections with others. I’ve been taught how to truly be mindful and face my fear of recovery, in order for me to start the healing process. This program offers me an array of vital tools and resources to ensure and sustain a long-lasting recovery.”

— Female Addict in Recovery

“Going through LifeStar has been one of the most difficult events I have experienced but at the same time one of the greatest blessings in my life. LifeStar was like a powerful shining light that penetrated through my darkness revealing the depths of my brokenness and the healing that needed to be amended.

LifeStar was and forever will be a priceless stepping stone into my undergoing transformation of my soul, my mind, and body. Going into LifeStar I felt like a worm. Coming out of LifeStar, I felt like a butterfly. Working with such amazing people and with such endurance through the overly insane chaos that was in me, I grew wings and I was no longer defined by the chains of my past, present, and future. I can now fly and experience the freedom that only comes with surrendering to something higher than the external and internal world and transcending into a place where love, peace, and wholeness reign. 

Thanks in great part to LifeStar, I am closer to my real identity and where I belong. I came into this world feeling and living the hatred, rejection, shame, and abandonment of those around me. I will go out of this world feeling victorious, accomplished, and fulfilled. I can now attempt to better fulfill the greatest commandment of them all – to love God and to love others as yourself with all your strength, with all your mind, and with all your soul. I do have to admit that sometimes I go back to living like a worm. But it is in the unending and constant growth of my wings that I will be able to venture through the storms and uncertainties that lie ahead.”

— Male Addict in Recovery

“The first week I attended LifeSTAR I knew it would be a program that would change my life, with or without my partner. Just knowing I was not alone in how I felt and that other partners were going through the same things as me was amazing. The connection I made in those first weeks with another partner has tremendously made a difference in my recovery from the trauma I have felt because of my spouse’s addiction. I cannot imagine trying to do this without LifeSTAR’s program and support! I highly recommend that all partners participate in their addict’s recovery and come to the program with them. It is life changing.”

— Partner in Recovery

“Living with an addict can be very isolating. Who can you tell? What will your family and friends think? You fear no one will understand your pain and despair or will wonder why you stay in the relationship. LifeSTAR for partners is truly a lifeline for me. I found people who understand what I am going through and are there to support me every day. I have learned to forgive not only my spouse but also myself. LifeStar provides me with tools for facing the road ahead and for the first time in so long, I have hope. With the help of this program I heal a little more each day and my spouse and I have found a closeness we never knew existed.”

— Partner in Recovery

“Dealing with a partner who has a sexual addiction is not easy. LifeSTAR has given me a better understanding of what sexual addiction is and how to deal with what is at hand. One of the most important strategies I learned was to be aware of my feelings. I know it may sound cliché, but knowing and understanding what I feel helped me to know those feeling are valid. I now can move forward with upcoming challenges.”

— Partner of an Addict