'To get clean. To stay sober.' These are common phrases used to describe someone who is battling a drug or alcohol addiction. It sounds simple, right? Well, it's far from it. For some people, all it takes is an intervention, if you will, by caring family members to seek help. A few months of group/individual sessions and drug/alcohol free living will do the trick. For others, it is a life-long battle to not use drugs/alcohol on a regular basis, or, at all. Some get clean, but aren't able to stay sober for that long. Some get clean, are sober for a while, and fall back into the same patterns of behavior of using never to return to sobriety. A relapse, we call it. Fortunately, some are able to make it out alive and return to a somewhat 'normal' state of being. What is 'normal' anyway these days? Is there even such a thing? And, some just aren't able to kick the habit, and leave us way too soon. These cases are the hardest to swallow. Family, friends, and other loved ones are left behind with the memory of their sister/brother, parent, friend, or spouse.
We've had the opportunity to spend time in multiple drug and alcohol counseling centers over the past 2 years, and my experience has been nothing short of amazing. Eye-opening at times, every day is something new and different. We might find people having a great day. We might find them having an OK day. I might find them having an awful day. No matter where we find people and where they find me on a given day, we always leave feeling like we made a difference in one person's life. It's hard to describe, but we feel a real connection with someone whom I've never met before and may never see again. This is the case in one of the places we go to--the individuals are there for one week at a time, and we're only there once a week. Then, they move on, and we don't see them again. How amazing is it when you are able to positively impact someone like that? A perfect stranger? It restores our faith in humanity if it ever gets lost for us. And, it does at times. What's even better is that these individuals do the same for us. They positively impact us, and leave an impression not soon to be forgotten. To see people at their lowest, outwardly and inwardly struggling with an addiction, is both terrifying and endearing. It shows us that there are levels we can go to inside ourselves which we are almost always unaware of. We get to see people to go these places, and some are willing to share those places with us. They are trying to become a better version of themselves. Aren't we all trying to do that anyway? We should be at least. That's what I feel about every day of my life--to become a little bit better than yesterday. Whether that means taking on a new client, spending time with a child doing something we've never done before, going one-tenth of a mile longer on a run or a hike than the previous day, all it takes is being open to the possibility of change, embracing the unknown, and pushing ourselves past what we think we can do. We can all do this sort of thing if we have the right mindset and the right support system. We've heard the opposite of addiction is not sobriety...it's community. Think about it. When we are left to our own devices, we can sometimes be our own worst enemies. But, when we are in the presence of others who care about us and those we care about wanting the best for us and us for them, it builds confidence and breeds a sense of camaraderie and resourcefulness to overcome any obstacle that comes our way. When there's no ulterior motive or request for returning the favor, we know someone is in it for the right reasons. Doing something just because we know it is the right thing to do, and not because it's the cool thing to do. That takes courage and humility.
With all of this said, we know we've witnessed miracles happen. From someone singing a song they never thought they were good enough to sing to someone sharing their story in a most intimate way to someone telling us we saved their life, we will cherish these moments forever. Sometimes we leave a session crying tears of joy because of how amazing the individuals we spend time with are. We make it a point to tell them every session how awesome we think it is they are there willing to work on themselves, that they admitted to having a problem and wanting to make a change for the better, and that they inspire us. It's true. They inspire us to be better. We only hope our words resonate half as much as the words they so openly share with us about themselves.
There are so many organizations that exist these days with the common goal of helping people achieve long-standing sobriety. Some of these include:
City of Angels
Princeton Detox and Recovery Center
Phoenix Behavioral Health
Seacrest Recovery Center
If you are reading this and it resonates with you, please don't hesitate to reach out to one of these companies for a family member, friend, or yourself, if you do, in fact, have an addiction. You are not alone. We're all in this life together, so we ought to be there for each other when we need help. Because we all need help every so often. We know we do.
**This article can also be found at: https://vocal.media/psyche/rockfest-for-recovery**
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