{"id":7979,"date":"2024-12-17T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7979"},"modified":"2024-12-17T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T15:30:00","slug":"believing-in-better-days-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7979","title":{"rendered":"Believing in better days ahead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-12-17T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

When Army Veteran Mario Reyes got out of the military in 2007, he carried invisible scars from his service. After struggling with anxiety and depression, he turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism, which only made things harder.<\/p>\n

Over the summer, Reyes was the first Veteran admitted to Houston VA\u2019s new Domiciliary and, this month, he was among the first group of Veterans who graduated from the program. The future looks bright as he celebrates four months of sobriety and a renewed sense of purpose. <\/p>\n

\u201cI am clean and sober and about to get a new home.\u00a0VA has so many resources.\u00a0Once I got into the Domiciliary and started being open to it, I was amazed at how things started falling into place.\u00a0Now I wake up in the morning feeling hopeful about my future,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt lost.\u00a0I just didn\u2019t know how to handle things.\u201d<\/h2>\n

The turning point for Reyes came when he was hospitalized at the Houston VA<\/a> and heard about the new Domiciliary that offers Veterans who have an identified addiction or substance abuse disorder to seek care with residential rehabilitation, recovery and health maintenance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
Reyes speaking at the Domiciliary graduation<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Reyes jumped at the chance to participate in the Domiciliary program. In turn, he got sober, opened up to therapists, and met and helped other Veterans with similar challenges.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reyes is pictured above with Domiciliary Chief Michael Abraham at the first Houston VA Domiciliary graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Domiciliary program takes a whole health approach to challenges Veterans may experience, making sure their medical concerns and social needs, such as employment and housing, are addressed,\u201d said Abraham.\u00a0\u201cWe house them while providing a whole host of VA wraparound services.\u00a0It\u2019s amazing how Veterans like Mr. Reyes can benefit from our program and really change their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thirty-three Veterans have already been enrolled in the Domiciliary, which is located just a few miles from the main medical center in a beautiful brand-new modern facility.\u00a0Once enrolled, each Veteran receives an individualized treatment plan, including group and individual therapy.\u00a0The program offers Veterans not only a therapeutic environment and a safe haven but also a community of individuals who understand each other\u2019s battles.<\/p>\n

Reyes has big plans for the future. He hopes to enroll in VA\u2019s Transitional Work Experience Program and is looking forward to moving into his new apartment. \u00a0He credits his success to the support of VA staff and his fellow Veterans, and plans to stick around to share his story with others as an alumni of the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program changed my life and made me believe there are better days ahead. I want to make sure other Veterans know there is hope and help out there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Believing in better days ahead, Army Veteran Mario Reyes was among the first to graduate from Houston VA\u2019s Domiciliary program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBelieving in better days ahead - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Believing in better days ahead, Army Veteran Mario Reyes was among the first to graduate from Houston VA\u2019s Domiciliary program.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7979\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Believing in better days ahead - 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