About The Red Road House
The Red Road House is a 501©3 that provides sober living for individuals who suffer from chronic drug and alcohol addiction. The sober living arrangement falls between detoxification and drug free independent living. The Red Road House gives those who truly wish to recover access to programming, support, and guidance they need to successfully become a productive member of society. The Red Road House is staffed 24 hours every day, and offers 7 resident rooms, two communal bathrooms, laundry room, and a common kitchen and eating area. Resident rooms are private and securable. All residents contribute to household chores. Residents must provide their own food and toiletries. No personal pets are allowed at this time. The house itself is located within walking distance of the local bus line, several parks, employment agencies, health care and mental health care providers, several 12-step meeting locations, the state's number one job center, and one of the finest libraries in the state with access to the internet.
Billy Bob
Billy Bob, founder of the Red Road House in Janesville, WI, has pulled together a program of recovery from his own experiences, the teachings of others, and the spiritual teachings of his heritage. Born to the Lake Superior Band of Chippewa Indians, Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin, Billy Bob's elders taught him the ways of the Ojibwa. Also passed through the generations was the predisposition to chemical dependency. For many years, he knew only the twisted logic, fury, and misery of alcoholism and drug abuse. Today, he remembers his heritage and his family, first and foremost.
"Chemical dependency is an incurable disease unlike other diseases. Alcoholics don't receive 'Get Well' cards. The stigma touches anyone who has even a casual relationship with the abuser. The disease baffles and frustrates families and friends. I believe there is help of some kind for anyone who truly and dearly wants to be clean and sober. It's just a matter of finding the resources and matching them to the person. At the Red Road House, we want the chemically dependent person to recover, and also his family and other close relationships as well. To start the journey of recovery, each resident must first seek the safety of a drug and alcohol-free environment and total abstinence from chemical abuse. Only then can recovery and the path to restoration of personal accountability and dignity begin."
--Billy Bob Grahn, Director
Daily Life
In a recent year, all 19 residents who lived at the Red Road House came from chemically dependent homes. In their youth, they learned different ways of thinking
than children in stable, healthy homes. Avoidance of personal responsibility for their places in the world seems to be a key factor in their troubles.
The Red Road House provides the atmosphere and guidance that can teach healthier ways of thinking, including personal responsibility, work ethics,
contact with one's spiritual being, clean and sober social interaction skills, and good eathing and hygiene habits. Residents must do weekly chores, meet with
staff regularly, participate in ongoing supportive counseling, and attend several 12-step meetings weekly. They must work, attend school, or volunteer their
services for a minimum of 20 hours each week. They must also clean up the wreckage of their past to be accountable for the present, and therefore must show proof
of restitution, child support, traffic fines, utilities, or personal debts, especially those which would hinder future housing arrangements. They keep weekly
accountability records which they discuss with staff.
The Red Road House program of recovery places heavy emphasis upon residents learning and using every facet of 12-step recovery programs, which includes choosing
and working closely with a sponsor to complete the 12 steps, and being personally responsible and active in their "home" 12-step group.
Recovery Method
Based on this principle of learning, the resident learns a task from another, practices until proficient, and then teaches it to someone else. Twelve-step programs
of recovery use this practice, as do residents of the Red Road House. It works because the learning cycle never stops - each time someone teaches a task, they
learn another aspect of it they hadn't noticed before. Each time they learn a task, they may teach the teacher something new.
Recovery from substance abuse is often lonely and difficult at best. Part of learning daily skills of recovery is giving the gift of those skills to the newer residents,
directly or by example.
Wrap-Around Care
Substance abuse is a multi-faceted disease for which there is no single solution. Even the original 12-step program includes a passage concerning help outside the program. The Red Road House spends a great deal of time forging relationships in the community with agencies which can help those residents who want to recover fully. Physical and mental health care, employment counseling, financial advice, and help repairing areas which most people take for granted can be available to those residents who are dedicated to recovery.
The Vision
Local and state social agencies recognize Red Road House, Inc. as a high quality recovery environment. It is our ongoing goal to build a working relationship with area professional service providers and local social agencies.
"Our vision for Red Road House includes growth and expansion, so that we don't have to turn people away anymore. We at Red Road House realize the importance of a drug-and-alcohol-free, structured recovery environment that will promote long term sobriety."
--Billy Bob Grahn, Director