Chris Cappuccilli, the operations manager at Blueprint, has lived in New Hampshire for the past 5 years. He moved here from Syracuse, NY to start a new life for himself. After struggling with addiction for years, he finally decided to make a much-needed change. Chris attended multiple treatment centers before he discovered a program that worked best for him. Although it was a long and daunting process, Chris proudly graduated from a local treatment center that focused on the 12 Steps.
Shortly after graduating, he became a Behavioral Health Technician for that same center. Chris was determined and motivated to help others recover from their addiction. He worked hard and before he knew it, he became a case manager. While he was battling addiction, Chris attended college where he studied horticulture and botany. As much as he loved his job at a treatment center, he longed to work on a golf course and to work in a position that he studied for. Although he loved the excitement that came with maintaining a golf course, Chris quickly came to the realization that he missed helping people. After a year of being out on a golf course, Chris reached out to a friend and former employee of Blueprint to make a career in the field of treatment. He was hired on as a BHT and was quickly promoted to a lead. This was then followed by another promotion as Director of Housing and finally his most recent promotion, Operation Manager. “I was able to run the houses and really connect with all of the clients,” he said. “An opportunity opened up to be an Operations Manager. I sort of had a working interview for the job before I officially had it. It’s been a great learning experience but it’s exactly where I want to be.”
In relations to other area treatment centers, Chris compares Blueprint Recovery center to a Mom and Pop restaurant that has the best food around. “Once you’re a client here, you are part of the family,” he said. “Everyone sticks up for one another. And everyone gets the attention they need, whereas at a bigger facility, their needs might fall through the crack. We set them up for their future in recovery.” Chris says the most rewarding part about his job is seeing the light turn on in a client’s eye. He remembers how he had to work hard for his own recovery, having to unlearn many behaviors and thought patterns. His main goal is to give others an opportunity to better themselves and to live the life they deserve. “I feel like I had a spiritual malady from birth. I was never comfortable in my own skin.
I always got three quarters of the way through things and could never complete it,” he said. “There was a time that I thought being a drug addict was a death sentence, but it’s a gift to be able to be in recovery and help someone else go through it.” During his time in New Hampshire, Cappuccilli has seen firsthand how the opioid and fentanyl crisis has impacted the community. As tragic as it is, Cappuccilli remains optimistic, calling Blueprint’s clients a“community of people with second chances.” “We’re not a prisoner of our past,” Cappuccilli said. “It’s just a lesson, not a life sentence.”
