WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Waukesha woman found sobriety after decades of work. Now, she’s on a path to help others accomplish that same goal.
For the past eight years, WisHope has been providing resources and recovery housing for those struggling with addiction.
This is the place where Rebecca Lemke became sober and stuck with it after decades of trying.
Lemke struggled with addiction for nearly 18 years until she finally found the help that worked for her.
“I had gotten to a place where I really needed help. I needed to get out of my environment which was coming to a sober living house,” WisHope house manager Lemke said.
She said her addiction began when she was a teen. She was addicted to drugs and tried getting sober dozens of times, but nothing seemed to work for her.
It wasn’t until 2021 when she came to WisHope that she was able to stay sober and continue her journey into sobriety.
“Instead of trying to save me, they helped me save myself,” Lemke said.
She is now a proud 14 months sober and can use the skills she learned to help others.
As house manager, Lemke works with women who are at the beginning of their sober journey in this position. She said it’s something incredibly meaningful to her.
“I finally found purpose. It’s so fulfilling to be in a position where I can say, ‘maybe I helped that person not use today,’” Lemke said.
Lemke spends part of her workday in the car taking those in treatment to and from appointments.
It’s at times like this she’s able to reflect on and see the impact she can now make for someone else.
“I didn’t think I would ever find joy. I hadn’t felt that feeling in so long, maybe ever,” Lemke said.
For Peter Brunzelle, the president of WisHope, it’s special to see someone like Lemke go from resident to recovery.
“It just shows you why you are here. We are available. We are open for that to give people that space to do it,” Brunzelle said.
Addiction is not an easy battle to overcome. However, for Lemke, she said seeing where she is now is very special to her and worth the fight she went through.
“Every day you have to fight a battle but if you do it, it’s so worth it,” Lemke said.
She’s now sharing her victories with others and hoping for more success stories to come.