03/06/2026
🌟 Fresh STARt Spotlight 🌟
From 37 Years of Darkness to a Legacy of Honor: The Kevin Masse Story ⛓️➡️☀️
Member’s First Name: Kevin Masse
Admission Date: 5/12/25 🗓️
🏚️ Life Before Fresh Start
What was life like before coming to Fresh Start Sober Living?
It all started at the age of 13; I started to smoke ci******es and w**d because I was overweight and wanted to fit in 👦. From there, it progressed into much harder substances like co***ne, methamphetamine, and he**in ⛓️. As someone who struggled to fit in, these substances allowed me to escape and made me feel a part of something. Slowly, I started to lose everything, which ultimately led me to selling drugs to survive and to support my habit.
During my active use, I witnessed many friends die of this disease, and even lost my brother to alcoholism 🕊️. His death put me at a crossroad and ended up being the catalyst to change. At the age of 50, I was broken, lost, grieving the death of my brother and my mom to cancer, and facing prison time for drug trafficking ⚖️. That’s when I decided that I needed to honor myself, my brother, and my mother. I applied for membership to Wellspring’s rehab for men. It took 3 months of consistently calling until I was accepted into their program. While I was at Wellspring, I heard of a sober living program everyone was talking about called Fresh Start. The day I graduated is when I got the Fresh Start I needed. I immediately moved into Fresh Start day 🔑.
🏠 When I First Moved In
What do you remember about your first days or weeks here?
On May 12, 2025, I moved into one of the Fresh Start houses. I was excited to be moving on from Wellspring, and at the same time, I was scared about whether I was going to be able to make it 😰. I have never done anything like this before, and my past experiences with recovery weren’t that successful.
Immediately, I met some other guys who understood me. Their experience and support made me hopeful that I could do this ✨. I was excited to have my own room and to not be living with a roommate, but I was willing to do so if needed 🛏️. Every guy in the house, and those working in the office, were very welcoming and supportive. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I found and belonged to a family again 🫂.
☀️ Life Today
What does your life look like now?
Today, I am a year and a half clean and sober 🏆. I am still living in the same house and even upgraded into a bigger and better room! 🔝 I have great connections with my housemates, community, and reconnected with family and friends. I may not have everything figured out, especially when it comes to my financial situation, but I do know that as long as I don’t pick up, everything will work out 🙏. Every day I think about my mother and brother, and I hope that they both are proud of me. I know that I am proud of myself, and that is what keeps me going 💖.
📣 Words of Encouragement?
"As someone who battled addiction for 37 years ⏳, I know how hard it is to find recovery. If I could give someone advice it would be to never give up. Relapse doesn’t always mean failure. As someone who took 37 years to get it, I believe that there is hope for anyone. If I can do it, anyone can do it! 🙌"
🤝 Support Our Mission
Success stories like Kevin’s are made possible through community support. If you feel moved by his journey, please consider making a donation.
100% of all donations collected go directly toward our members' dues, helping men who are working hard to rebuild their lives afford a safe, supportive place to stay during their recovery.
Donate via Venmo: www.venmo.com/u/freshstartbangor
Every dollar helps provide a "Fresh Start" for someone in need. 💙
