Recovery in Action

Slim, 46, came to Rochester, MN, from Cambodia when he was five years old, with his parents and his three brothers. His uncles and their families had already moved to the United States, mostly in Rochester, but also in Seattle, Washington. “Rochester is my home. I grew up here, spent my whole childhood here.”

He attended Mayo High School up until his senior year, where he spent one year in Seattle, graduated from High School, and earned his citizenship, all in 1999.

“Growing up was a challenge. When I was 16, I started partaking in drugs and alcohol as social activities. I just wanted to fit in with everyone else at parties, but it started as just a social thing,” said Slim. For him, social use developed into a battle with addiction that would span the next several decades.

“I went to Seattle for my senior year of high school to try and escape that scene, separate myself from the people I was using with,” said Slim, “I really thought those people were my friends, but the older I got, the more I realized they weren’t.”

Slim spent many of the years between 1999 and 2024 experiencing homelessness, in addition to chemical dependency. Today, Slim has been sober for 21 months, and is living at the 105 in Rochester, a permanent supportive housing facility located downtown.

“I have my sobriety friends now. I am in recovery with the right people. Having the right people around me keeps me clean.” He attends AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery, and church meetings every day. “I also see my therapist every week, and he’s one of the people who really helped me to get clean.”

When he’s not attending recovery meetings, at church, or in therapy, Slim spends several days a week at The Salvation Army in Rochester. He volunteers his time, both in the kitchen around daily mealtimes and on the grounds, helping The Salvation Army maintenance director to keep the property clean.

“It’s amazing to know that Slim feels so much personal pride in his sobriety,” said Captain Kelly Hanton, Corps Officer of The Salvation Army in Rochester. “Getting to a place where he’s been sober for 21 months is a big achievement, and the fact that he’s still coming here to help us and to be a living example for other people that this kind of recovery, from addiction and from homelessness, is absolutely possible for them, too, is really inspiring.”

“People really need to want it in order to stay clean,” said Slim, “I really like this side of the street. I’m a lot more involved than I used to be.”

Slim says he’s working to stay sober for his parents, who still live in Rochester at 76 and 77 years of age. “The past is coming up now, and I’m working to make up for my past choices. But as a part of my recovery meetings, I share my stories. We are honest and real, working to keep each other clean.”

Slim also has a 29 year old daughter, who now has two girls of her own. All of them are in town, so he’s able to see them at church and family gatherings. “I love being surrounded by family, and I’ve learned through recovery how to set healthy boundaries with them and with the other people in my life.”

“My mindset is strong. People can do whatever around me now, and I just walk past. My two years is coming up really soon, and I’m super proud of that. If I can stay clean, other people can, too.”

Slim says that recovery is another kind of family, supporting one another when they’re in stages where they need support or where they need to be held accountable. “They care a lot. They’re my people, and I can always count on them when I need them.”

When asked what message he would like community members to take away from reading his story, Slim said, “that working recovery is an ongoing, daily thing, but if I can do it, anyone can do it.”

To learn more about Salvation Army services that support individuals and families in Rochester, MN, please visit RochesterSA.org or call 507-288-3663.