Addiction is something many people battle every day. Many places across KELOLAND offer support and help for those struggling. One recovery program in KELOLAND is working to help men turn their lives around. 

Drew Lindstrom is one of the students in the Teen Challenge program.

“Since being here I’ve learned to face my problems head on, and not just run and getting high and hiding out in the basement for a month, it’s encouraging, this place is awesome, it saved my life,” student Drew Lindstrom said.

He’s been here for about four months and says the program has helped turn his life around. 

“Before I came to this place I was in prison in Springfield, and before that I was an IV drug user, and IV meth user and life was hard, it was bad,” Lindstrom said.

Teen Challenge of the Dakotas isn’t a treatment center.  Instead it offers faith based hope for addiction for men 18 years and older. The 16 month program consists of morning classes and work training programs in the afternoon.

“We’ve always had a high success rate and I think part of that stems from the long term aspect of what we’re doing,” Executive Director, Mike Gilmartin said. “When you take the extra time to work with a person who has a soul and a spirit, people need to work through issues that are deep seeded, there’s a lot of emotional and scarring.”

Gabriel Frie is also a student, who has turned a life of doing drugs into something positive.

“I dropped out of high school but I got my GED while I was here, and moving forward from here I’m thinking about looking into college and a future career,” student Gabriel Frie said.

“We can work with them over time and really learn about themselves, and really learn more than drug education, these guys need to develop self-awareness and find a purpose and passion for life,” Gilmartin said.

Helping people have hope and success in their lives.

“I have a purpose and I know I have a purpose in life,” Lindstrom said.