My son is a recovering drug addict, alcoholic and has been clean and sober while living at Casa Nuevo Vida for six months, after he was released from detox. The help he has received there is priceless. For the first time in many years he is living a happy, sober life. There is extreme care and attention given to each individual living at Casa Nuevo Vida. The atmosphere is one of belonging to a family. David looks after each individual as would a good parent. The home is very comfortable and the food, prepared by Chef David is excellent. I have nothing but the best to say about Casa Nuevo Vida and thank whatever powers may be that my son has had the opportunity to partake in their sober living program. ~PJ

Life at Casa Nuevo Vida is not only a safe and comfortable place for those serious about “sober living”, but equally important, Casa Nuevo Vida is a real “home.” You get that sense from the moment you are greeted by David Marvin. What sets Casa Nuevo Vida apart from other (what might be disappointing experiences) in a sober living environment, honestly, is David Marvin. This is his home too; he is there 24-7, and I don’t just mean in the physical sense. He has the intuition and experience to know the right thing to do in complex situations; he senses the necessary combination of structure, supervision and freedom for each individual person living in their home, all tempered with his good nature. He is “there” when you need to run a concern or question by him.

David’s continuous demonstration of his hands-on involvement in our son’s success in sobriety and making positive lifestyle changes is sincere and genuine. He is all about investing himself in the process. My son did not arrive in great shape… David’s support of him, (and us as his parents..me especially) has been truly life-changing. I am so grateful to him for his kindness, friendship, caring supervision and sensible guidelines that have helped our son recognize and make good choices in his daily life.

Our son is doing great, and on a path that is the right one. We are so proud of the positive changes we have seen in our son these past couple of months and his future looks bright. My husband and I needed to move out of the area as had been planned for quite some time, and we were able to move on with our plans with the comfort of knowing our son was in the “right” living environment and was going to better than “fine” at Casa Nuevo Vida. Any parent who has been through what we have been through, understands the gravity of such words. I mean this from my heart; whether you are young, old, single or married, I have seen what David Marvin does.. and how he and others interact in his home. What he has done for our son…I say to myself, “amazing.” ~Mindy, February, 2010

Casa Nuevo Vida is what real sober livings should aspire to be! I spent approximately 9 months in this house and unlike other sober livings where one is treated like a client, at Casa Nuevo Vida I was treated like family. The men at Casa Nuevo Vida became my family. We were a group of men that were lost, wondering aimlessly about the nation, thinking that we were living. We were men who believed that success was measured by the jobs that we held, the money we earned, and the material possessions that our families were providing us. I slowly experienced a transition and was able was to care for and be of service to those around me. I came to understand that the relationships I developed were far more important than the “things” I spent most of my life trying to acquire. We believe that you must “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk”! The owner/manager of Casa Nuevo Vida, David Marvin, lives his life this way on a daily basis. By having someone who truly “walks the walk” around you 24/7, I was finally able to understand my priorities, and put them in order, – sobriety, family and service to those I come in contact with on a daily basis. Today I can honestly say without an inkling of doubt that My Days are Bigger than My Dreams! Thanks David! ~Berkeley D.

We wanted to take the time to express our sincerest thanks to David Marvin and Casa Nuevo Vida for showing our son the way out of a very difficult and serious situation. Our 19 year old son Jesse entered a detox program when it was obvious that he was no longer in control of life. Drugs had taken over the beautiful boy that we knew and loved. After he completed 30 days at the detox and rehabilitation facility, we were advised to find a sober living home. That quest led us to Casa Nuevo Vida.

Jesse was embraced and supported by David and the other residents. Within a very short time, he felt right at home.This continued a very important part of his journey in recovery. Jesse was held to task for a series of responsibilities, including attending daily meetings, participating in household chores and securing a sponsor that would help him through the 12 step program. With David’s continual loving guidance and his diligence in the 12 step program, he remains clean and sober today. As parents we remain comforted in knowing that David and the other residents of the house are always there for Jesse. We can’t say enough about the care he got at Casa Nueva Vida. We thank David with all our hearts. ~Karyn and Todd E.

I have never written a testimonial. If you had met me nine months ago, you would never have thought this was possible; either me being clean and sober, or even being alive. For sure as the sun rises, nobody could have dreamed that I would have six months of continued sobriety today!. Closer to the truth yet, is that if you had told me of such a thing, I would have doubled over, except for the fact that I was always doubled over back then anyway!

Casa Nuevo Vida (CNV), the house of new life! For me, the house of another chance, the house of hope, faith, recovery, serenity and a place, a very special place to get well again, or maybe as in my case for the very first time. What I do for a living has no bearing, since this disease does not discriminate. How old I am also has no bearing, since when I first walked in the doors of CNV I was greeted by eight other men all of which were somewhere between 18 and 65 years of age. So here I was, sitting in the back yard smoking with eight other men, struggling to put two damn words together! Yes, I was broken! Yes, I was torn up! Yes, I was scared! But, when some of these men spoke to me, I actually thought I knew them. Not that I really knew them, but there was a familiarity, an instant fellowship of sorts. I felt something I had not felt in many, many years…some acceptance and a little bit of peace!

If I were to write everything down, and spend the time to try to explain the miracles that transpired…you would most likely not believe my words and I would be writing a text similar to “War and Peace” or “Crime and Punishment” in length!This is what stands out!

“Morning Meditation” The first time I was woken up at 7:45am I thought I was going to die, since that is what time I use to get home after a night out. Somehow I pulled myself up, grabbed a cup of coffee and my smokes and crawled(half joking) outside to join the rest of the guys. It was beautiful, well maybe it was me feeling some gratitude in the fact that I was still breathing after almost dying(several times). Over the next weeks, then months I never had to be woken again. Somehow I came to understand that when I got up, greeted the day, and shared with my fellow addicts, it was the most serene way for me to engage in life! I believe that meetings are important, actually more than important, and I need to start my day by surrendering to my higher power. I had to give thanks and at the same time, make myself available to others and therefore ultimately starting my day with being of service.

I cannot say that every morning was inspired, but what a blessing it is to sit early in the morning, feel the sun on your face, and hear laughter from men who but a moment before were strangers. Strangers whose names were mumbled and lost in the hurried handshakes when greeted for the very first time. Now these suddenly familiar faces shone in the morning light as they shared their deepest thoughts with one another. I like to keep it simple, try it, just for thirty days…if I am wrong(and trust me haven’t been yet) you can always go back to drifting too sometime around noon…I mean that is if you still have another run left in you!

“Daily Meetings” I was told it was a prerequisite to attend one meeting a day to stay at CNV. Let me just say that I hated meetings! I thought…what a waste of time! This I think is routed in the fact that I always felt superior to everyone my entire life! Lol! The things we learn in sobriety and early recovery! We all hear the same things, “go to a meeting if either you want to and if you don’t want to!” Where do they get these sayings? I really don’t care! All I know is that they work! In my early recovery at CNV, I lost two dear friends to this disease. One my ex-girlfriend and the other a childhood friend that was like my brother. I still have no real idea how I got through either or both of these challenging times clean, but I did through the grace of God(my higher power) and with the support of my fellow addicts and alcoholics. What is amazing is that men and women who seem to be so fragile and weak, that they will break into pieces in a moment, can be the pillars of strength to another in need! My fellows have held me up, carried me through and kept me going in the darkest hours of my life. If someone truly does not understand the value of a meeting, then they have never truly surrendered!

The great thing about LA is that there are more meetings in this town and surrounding areas than I believe anywhere in the world. We have old peoples meetings, young peoples meetings, cool peoples meetings, not so cool peoples meetings, last stop meetings and even the tattoo peoples meetings..I mean whatever you are, we have it covered! Find a meeting you like and make it your home group! It’s more than important, it is the difference of staying sober, being dry and going out! And for all of you like me, who sometimes are shy or too cool for the room, get up and get your newcomer chip…get thirty for your first thirty days, you can trade those up later for a healthy and long life…sober…one day at a time!

“Ten at Ten” One of the most important things at CNV, and unique.In my books, simply brilliant! Why so excited? Simple! I explained how “Morning Meditation” kicks off your day right? Well, ten at ten is the perfect bookend to a day/ Being able to end my day going over gratitudes and resentments, was truly a saving grace for me to make it through my early recovery! It allowed me to clear out my head, regain some serenity and check in with my fellows at the house. If you don’t believe me, then why is it on any night of the week, you will find CNV Alumni hanging around at ten, friends of people staying there, guests visiting in town, people from the Thursday night House meeting staying as well! CNV is known for its gratitude on many levels! The people who come to our Thursday night meetings in the backyard know exactly what I am talking about! With The Ten AT Ten, you have the perfect way to wrap up a day of full recovery and actually have a peaceful mind to get some sleep! For me, it was my favorite time, and most important fellowship that I ever experienced! I recall almost every Ten at Ten that I experienced at CNV. It was a time that I hold with me now. It still keeps me strong and makes me remember just how thankful I am to be sober and alive today!

Casa Nuevo Vida was the place that allowed me to have the strength to recover. David Marvin is a man charged with a most difficult task indeed. To own and run a sober living with so many individually demanding people all in various stages of early recovery…well extremely difficult would not do it nor he justice! However, David somehow is able to juggle and balance the near impossible, in a miraculous fashion. I use to say CNV saved my life! I use to say David saved my life! I used to say that AA saved my life! Today, I know now that places, people and things cannot do such a thing, but I do believe that it was such a key ingredient in my recovery that words are hard to muster to truly express my deep gratitude. It is important that you understand just how bad I was when they took me in. I had been on a very long run, I was at the tail end of ten years and had ended up in the hospital several times. Even my family, God love them, were at the end of their rope. All my friends were gone, how could they have been expected to stay? To bury me? It was in a very, very dark place. I remember sitting in the backyard my first night, talking with some of the men and thinking that I never wanted to go to sleep! I felt that I did not want to wake up dead..The irony, after all the years trying to harm myself and killing myself slowly..now I wanted to live! I made a promise to myself that I would stay 30 days. Nobody in my life at that time believed I actually would! Well, I did stay…I stayed 5 months! I stayed until it almost became a joke that I would never leave!

A little about me to clarify things for you reading this. I am not the cheerleader type. If you knew me you would know that I do not write with exclamation marks in my sentences! If you knew me before I got in to CNV, I was just like you or someone you knew…scared, broken, ill, tired, trying to harm myself and not understanding why…tired, yes I know I already said it! I was so tired! I am grateful and that is what you hopefully hear in this letter! I am grateful that there is a place like this that exists in my life, and your town! Through the grace of my god, my higher power, I am able to write these words of strength with the hope that they reach you! I am a miracle..I am deserving of this gift called life, and now have the chance to live it once again! I no longer need to be in pain, or do harmful things to myself because of my misunderstood suppressed emotions! Take it from a soul that was not only lost, but left for dead…we can recover! My life is the simple expression of the miracles at work in the program of AA, and especially at Casa Nuevo Vida!! May you too find the strength to surrender now! ~Anonymous

When I came to Casa Nueva Vida I was bankrupt in every area of my life. The compassionate, structured environment helped me build a foundation for my sobriety. The morning meditations groups, the group therapy, daily attendance at 12-step meetings and a house manager that is always there to help you tackle any problems that may arise, went a long way in helping me piece together a shattered life. ~Anonymous

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