Meet Nisa J., Alumna: A Dallas 24 Hour Club Recovery Story
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 15
This Dallas 24 Hour Club recovery story follows Nisa J., who came to The 24 after reaching a place of desperation and hopelessness. Through recovery, community, and a renewed connection with her Higher Power, she found life again, regained custody of her children, and now helps others on their own recovery journeys.
Can you share a little about your life before recovery?
Before my recovery journey I was lost, depressed, and hopeless. I had lost custody of my kids, my work-from-home job, and shortly after, I ended up being $3,000 behind on my rent. I had completely given up. Therefore, to heal my guilt and shame, I used and drank every single day by any means necessary. Personal hygiene was non-existent, and for the first time in my life, I no longer wanted to be a part of this world.
How did you end up at Dallas 24 Hour Club?
One day, after all of my money had run out, I sold everything in my apartment on Facebook Marketplace. As I sat there hopeless, feeling like I was at my rock bottom, suddenly, I was given the Gift of Desperation. I called several rehabs but none of them would accept me due to no insurance or money. Finally, I came across Dallas 24 Hour Club and that is where my journey began.
What does recovery mean to you?
What recovery means to me is knowing how to deal with life on life's terms. It means being healed after being sick for a long time. I am able to show up for myself, my kids, my employer, and my family. It means being able to be a productive member of society. Recovery has given me the ability to be a responsible adult.
What is your greatest blessing?
My greatest blessing from this experience is my connection with my Higher Power, whom I call God. All my life, I've been trying to handle situations on my own. Through working this program and regaining that connection back, it's just so much easier to rely on something greater than me to handle things that I cannot handle. I've had plenty of setbacks during my recovery journey, and every single situation was handled through the grace of God along with support from my sponsor and friends of the fellowship.
What is your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement in my recovery was gaining full custody of my two children back, Kai'dyn Jackson, who is 12, and Ki'yah Jackson, who is 5. Before my recovery, my family didn't trust me around my kids because I was not responsible. I couldn't show up. I was always under the influence. On days I was sober, I had to have supervised visits.
When I got a sponsor and started working on my program, little by little, things started changing for me. Around 90 days clean, I was able to pick my kids up alone and take them out. They even came to visit me at Tillman in my apartment. At one year clean and sober, my family called me and said, "We think you're ready to have your kids back." From there, that's when I knew that God was simply doing for me what I couldn't do for myself!
What did The 24 do for you?
The Dallas 24 Hour Club gave me LIFE again. The residents and staff loved me and accepted me for who I was at the moment, and they loved me until I could love myself again. They shared their struggles, and showed me that there was another way out as long as I could genuinely admit I was powerless. There, I was shown what the 12-Step program was, and was promised freedom as long as I could follow the steps. I still look at The 24 as my home. It will always be a second home to me.
I remember when I would go on a pass to visit family, when it was time for me to return, I would always say "I'm going HOME" and I meant that with everything in my heart. The 24 is my safe place. All I ever wanted was to feel a part of, loved, and able to be myself. The Dallas 24 Hour Club gave me that.
What is one thing you want people to know?
One thing I would want a newcomer to know about recovery is, it's not easy, but it IS SIMPLE. You must first determine your Step 1 truth. If you can genuinely admit that you have a problem, and you can't manage the decision to stay stopped, then you are probably an alcoholic/addict. There's a page in the Big Book that helped me determine that when I was a newcomer. In Chapter 4 "We Agnostics" on pg. 44, in the first paragraph it reads... "If when you honestly want to, you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount that you take, you are probably an alcoholic". I was three days in to staying at The 24 and that page never left my mind. That is when I had my Step 1 truth. So to the newcomers, once you can determine that, then you are already on your way to a solution!
Where are you today?
Today, I am filled with gratitude for this program. I have a great homegroup with 4D CA, and I still attend two to three meetings weekly, which includes an H&I, my service commitment of chairing a homegroup meeting, and attending a newcomer meeting. I have a sponsor, sponsees, and I am looking forward to turning two years clean and sober on July 17, 2026. I left the program on July 4, 2025, and I have been on my own in Arlington in an apartment with my two kids.
I am still very active in my program because I must not forget where I came from. I currently work at a rehab facility in Euless, so I believe that even at my work God is using me to help others. I don't know where I'd be without the Dallas 24 Hour Club taking me in, but I truly thank you all for giving me a second chance at life. LOVE YOU 24!!!
