How I Found Myself After Trauma and SUD: The Power of Transforming Suffering Into Strength
Zeinah Estrada is a trauma survivor. As a mother, wife, and daughter, she has experienced the devastation of addiction in her own life. Today, she dedicates her life to helping others with substance use disorders through her work at Restoration Recovery Center, which she co-founded. Zeinah honors the journey of every person who comes through the door, helping them to find their way out of the darkness. Learn more about her story and passion for serving others.
The Impressions of Childhood Hurts
Born in the United States to a Christian mother and Muslim father, Zeinah struggled with finding her place in either religion. Her parents eventually divorced during her childhood, leaving her even more confused and alone. The void from her parent’s divorce and confusion about her religious identity left her susceptible to seek a sense of belonging everywhere, including experimenting with substance use with others in the same destructive lifestyle.
The Long Road to the Rock Bottom
Zeinah started dating a drug dealer in her late teens. Eventually, they married—tying her to a destructive lifestyle. The couple had a daughter together, and though their love for the child ran deep, Zeinah’s struggle with substance abuse only grew stronger. Years after her husband overdosed in her arms, Zeinah found herself on the verge of losing custody of her young daughter. Her mother, who lived in California, took possession of her granddaughter, and Zeinah hit an all-time low without her child.
Frustrated with her addiction, she entered rehab six times, but each stint left her even more hopeless. The last rehab center even declared her a ‘lost cause.’ With no other options available, she became desperate.
The Battle for the Lost Cause: How an A&E Intervention Lead To a Turning Point
Although others deemed her a lost cause, Zeinah’s mother envisioned more for her daughter—freedom from Substance Use Disorder (SUD). No matter how tough the battle seemed, she refused to believe that it was too late for Zeinah and had faith in her daughter to overcome.
Zeinah’s mother contacted the popular TV show “Intervention” to assist her daughter. A&E’s Intervention arranged for Zeinah to attend a $90,000 treatment program in California. Unlike other treatment programs, this treatment center in California emphasized trauma-focused care to help individuals recover from SUD. There, Zeinah realized that she had been using substances to avoid her feelings regarding specific traumas that she experienced. As a beautiful result, she started healing with comprehensive trauma-focused therapy. She left the program with new strength and support, determined to make the most of a second chance that few people receive.
The Unspoken Problem in Many Treatment Centers
Renewed and ready to help others, Zeinah started working at several luxury treatment centers in California. While there, she and her husband, Aaron Estrada, noticed a reoccurring problem in these facilities. The same people were returning to the treatment centers for a quick detox. Unlike the treatment facility where she recovered, these luxury treatment centers focused on detoxing without addressing the underlying issues of SUD. Zeinah knew, from personal experience, that a strong focus on trauma-informed care led to her recovery. Unfortunately, most programs failed to address the one thing that would make a real difference in recovery—healing trauma. Treating just the symptoms of addiction isn’t enough—it requires treating the underlying causes that led the person to substance use. Knowing this viscerally, Zeinah and Aaron felt compelled to create an effective treatment program.
Cultivating a Trauma-Focused Treatment Program
Inspired, Zeinah and her husband, Aaron Estrada, decided to move to Auburn, California, to launch the Restoration Recovery Center. After seeing how many individuals with SUD were returning to treatment centers repeatedly without long-term progress, the couple realized that many of them had untreated traumas that needed addressing. At the foothills of Auburn, they opened a center focused on spirituality and trauma-focused care. In 2018, they opened their sober living and intensive outpatient treatment services based on trauma-informed care.
With so many success stories, the couple took the initiative to help even more people by expanding their treatment center. Over the years, they’ve produced many successes because of their services and emphasis on long-term care. In 2020, the center launched a detoxification program, part-time hospitalization care, and a long-term residential program. Most individuals receive treatment from Restoration Recovery for at least 60 days.
People come here for the holistic approach to target trauma and SUD and access to qualified clinicians and a knowledgeable and caring medical team. In fact, Aaron runs many of the outdoor and adventure therapeutic activities. In comparison, Zeinah is in charge of admissions, ensuring that each person receives the care they deserve. Today, the couple shares three children between them and a sober, joyful life full of service, faith, and love.
Restoration Recovery—Here to Help You
Countless individuals choose Restoration Recovery for its holistic approach regarding trauma, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health disorders. Our outstanding team includes clinicians and medical professionals specializing in trauma-informed, evidence-based treatment to help all who enter our facility heal from trauma. Zeinah leads the admission process to ensure that each person receives the care they deserve. Residents receive outdoor adventure therapy, led by Aaron, allowing them to feel more at home through our outdoor therapeutic activities. Individuals can develop healthy relationships, reconnect with the natural world, and create positive new experiences.
Zeinah’s recovery illustrates that the road to healing takes effort and professional care. Like Zeinah and her family, anyone can overcome the impacts of trauma—even amid seemingly insurmountable challenges. Let Zeinah, and Restoration Recovery, help you along the way.
Located in beautiful Auburn, California, we at Restoration Recovery are devoted to helping individuals and families recover from addiction and the often underlying issues related to trauma. We recognize SUD as an illness of the whole person–body, mind, heart, and spirit–and we embrace an integrated approach to recovery that treats substance use disorder’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects. Choose Restoration Recovery for its qualified team of trauma-informed providers who have a long history of success in helping people recover. We tailor our treatment services specifically for each individual because one size never fits all in recovery. This approach especially applies to those looking to recover from SUD and heal their trauma wounds. If you or a loved one is struggling with SUD, we can help. Our trained professionals offer compassionate, evidence-based care. Call us today at 888-290-0925 to find out how we can help you move forward on your road to recovery.
