After more than 25 years of alcohol and drug addiction, local restaurateur Scottie Bowman began her nearly 19-year-long journey of sobriety that continues today.
For many years her goal has been to open a sober living house in Chattanooga, where she could help other women in recovery by offering them a temporary place to live in a supportive, positive environment as they get their lives back on track.
She fulfilled that goal earlier this year when construction was completed on The Launch Pad, a sober living house in downtown Chattanooga that opened its doors to its first residents in July.
“I believe in recovery,” Bowman said. “I think alcohol and drug addiction costs us lives and money and community solidarity, and I think it’s a good cause.”
Bowman said she spent the first six months of her sobriety in a sober living house, where she was able to learn to live with other women, form relationships and find encouragement that helped her to stay sober. If she had chosen to move home after the 30 days she spent in in-patient treatment rather than into a sober living house, she probably would not have been successful in staying sober, she said.