A life on track

After battling addiction twice, Tiffany Grubbs has goal of helping others

By John Underwood / john@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 2/1/17

ELSANOR, Alabama — Tiffany Grubbs is finally getting her life on track following a decade-long struggle through addiction, recovery, relapse and back again.

“I thank God that I am surrounded …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Subscribe to continue reading. Already a subscriber? Sign in

Get the gift of local news. All subscriptions 50% off for a limited time!

You can cancel anytime.
 

Please log in to continue

Log in

A life on track

After battling addiction twice, Tiffany Grubbs has goal of helping others

Posted

ELSANOR, Alabama — Tiffany Grubbs is finally getting her life on track following a decade-long struggle through addiction, recovery, relapse and back again.

“I thank God that I am surrounded by a support system that is allowing me to pay it forward,” she said.

After battling with addiction twice, Grubbs, 29, has now been sober for seven months. Last summer, she enrolled in Faulkner State Community College, now Coastal Alabama Community College, in their pre-nursing program with the goal of one day becoming a nurse practitioner.

“I want to do something to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

It’s a far cry from where she was just a few short months ago.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Grubbs moved with her family to Fairhope when she was 15.

But after her dad passed away, she fell into a world of drinking and drugs.

“I found myself in an abusive relationship,” she said, “and that’s when I really started drinking and experimenting with drugs.”

She first became addicted to prescription medication, then a co-worker at a local fast food restaurant introduced her to methamphetamine.

Several years later, she was in another relationship, she said, which put her on the road to recovery.

“He was in The Shoulder,” she said, which is a substance about treatment center located in Spanish Fort. “I began looking around to find a place that would help me.”

She found The Refuge for Women, a 27-acre facility, located in the Elsanor Community east of Robertsdale.

Formerly “Saving Grace Home for Women,” the program was re-tooled and reopened a few years ago with a program, developed by Dr. Nancy Robertson and Verlee Young, a licensed clinical social worker.

The Refuge is a non-profit, 10-bed, 90-day residential recovery program for adult women suffering from alcohol and drug dependency. Depending on the individual’s needs, Robertson said, the program can extend from 30 to 180 days.

The Christian-based program works with several 12-step programs to provide counseling. The program also includes exercise programs, nutrition classes, help with daily living skills, cooking, garden, health and wellness, and Bible class. The program has also recently added music therapy and equine therapy programs, Robertson said.

But, Grubbs said, she wasn’t able to join the program right away.

“They won’t let you join if you have outstanding warrants,” she said, “so I had to get that taken care of before I could be in the program.”

There was also a matter of cost.

“When she first approached us, we weren’t really sure how she was going to pay for it,” Robertson said. “At the time she was just coming out of prison. She had no money and no job.”

But, Robertson said, they agreed to let Grubbs sign up for the program with hopes that she could get some time of sponsorship.

“That day, I opened an envelope from the Robertsdale United Methodist Church,” Robertson said. There was a check inside that was enough to get Grubbs started in the program.

“I had been to Brother Steve before asking for help,” said Grubbs, referring to the church’s pastor at the time, The Rev. Steve Spining. “There wasn’t a lot they could do at the time, but he promised he would do what he could.”

They didn’t know when they sent that check through the mail – proceeds from the church’s bi-annual quilt show, among other fundraisers put on by the United Methodist Women’s group – that it would be Grubbs who would benefit from it.

“They actually recently sent us another check,” Robertson said, “which will allow us to afford another young woman the same opportunity.”

The remainder of the cost, Robertson said, was in the form of a loan that Grubbs has been paying back a little at a time.

“We have several girls that cannot afford the cost of the treatment,” Robertson said. “They pay what they can when they can. It may not keep us in business, but it’s not about that. It’s about helping people who need help.”

Not only did Grubbs get the counseling she needed to help her get off drugs, she retained a support group that would help her in the future.

“We provide family counseling, which her mother attended,” Robertson said. “She and her mother have a very co-dependent relationship, which can create difficult situations.”

Through the recovery program, Grubbs began attending church regularly at Coastal Church in Daphne.

“They’ve been good to us and good to our clients,” Robertson said.

She was sober for nine months after leaving the recovery center, but it was a fight with her mother, Grubbs said, that sent her spiraling into relapse.

“It ended up being a lot worse than it was before,” Grubbs said. “It is only by the grace of God that I survived.”

It was actually when Grubbs stopped making payments that Robertson said she knew something was wrong.

“It’s about making an effort. If they’re clean and sober they will at least make an effort, even if it’s just a few dollars,” Robertson said. “We have a saying, “If you’re not paying, you’re probably playing.’”

She had also stopped going to church.

“It’s the support system that they have when they leave here that keeps them on the right path,” Robertson said. “It’s easy to stay sober and make good decisions while you’re here, but it’s a different story on the outside. As long as that support system is in place, we see a lot of success, but it is when they abandon the support system that problems occur.”

So when Grubbs came back to The Refuge, asking to move back in, Robertson said, she suggested a different path.

“It’s a big world out there and we want them to be able to survive in it,” Robertson said. “And part of that is not to just take them back in when they’re having a difficult time. It’s about encouraging to use that support system.”

Getting back into a church environment, Grubbs said, made a world of difference.

“I actually showed up to church high,” she said, “but pastor Chad Stafford greeted me with open arms and no questions. I know he could tell, but he didn’t say anything, he just welcomed me back. So I just kept going.”

She would eventually get involved with a women’s group at the church. She also kept in contact with Robertson, getting advice and the help she needed to get her life on track.

“The way I see it, we’re more than a recovery center, we’re a family,” Robertson said. “Sometimes you have to give a little tough love, but it all comes from the same place.”

After being back on drugs for three months, Grubbs has now been sober for seven. She has a full-time job and is a full-time student, maintaining a 3.79 GPA while at the same time continuing to pay back The Refuge for her treatment.

“It hasn’t always been easy,” she said, “but I am making it by the grace of God.”

Robertson said she has also been working to help Grubbs with her education through Ecumenical Ministries Director Pam Meredith’s Family Foundation.

“We have connected with them and have already gotten funding for three of our clients,” she said. “We have sent in the paperwork and are hoping that Tiffany will be the fourth.”

Grubbs will also participate in The Refuge for Women’s annual fashion show fundraiser, which is scheduled for April 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Foley Civic Center.

“It’s through partnerships with people like those at Robertsdale United Methodist and Pam Meredith and through events like the fashion show that allow us to keep operating,” Robertson said.

Last year’s fashion show raised about $18,000 for the recovery center and Robertson said the goal is to double that figure this year.

“As with last year, many of our clients and past clients participate in the event,” she said, “but we are always looking for volunteers and sponsors to help with the event.”

Robertson said they are beginning to make preparations for this year’s event and if anyone wishes to learn more about participating, they can call her at 251-946-3355. If you would like to learn more about The Refuge, visit therefugeforwomen.org.