The following is reprinted from the Faces and Voices of Recovery (FAVOR) website. FAVOR is a national recovery advocacy organization that works on a national and regional political level to bring awareness of the efficacy of treatment and recovery- which is quite high compared to incarceration's affect. As the reality of recovery becomes more visible, maybe the acheivability of recovery becomes easier to grasp. At least that's the theory I try to live by.
Kimberly Armstrong
Dallas, TX
I was at the Symphony the other night and I was amazed. Not at the people or the music, but at the Maestro. Not as to his performance or his talent. But at his enthusiasm. I was enthralled by this little man “jamming” to classical music. He was tapping his foot and just bebopping around like he was orchestrating Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. But it was Brahms. And it struck me, what I thought of as nice music, he loved. The same is true for everything in life.
Cognitive Therapy is commonly practiced in most rehabilitation facilities. Basically reconditioning or reprogramming the way a person responds to outside stimuli. Instead of using alcohol or drugs to cope, use exercise or meditation. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work and one can relapse. Just don’t think that way, that’s what is implied. Okay, sure, that’s all well and good, easier said than done.
If I were able to just use exercise or meditation, don’t you think I would have? I mean, I did not make the conscience decision to leave my children, family, friends and business to embrace a life of addiction and crime. If I were able to utilize cognitive reasoning before I started using methamphetamines, I would have made a different choice. Now the problem is I have developed the response to use in order to escape the guilt and pain. A preverbal catch-22.
However, I am extremely grateful for the Cognitive Therapy I did receive because I am now able to recognize something, Life IS a matter of perspective. That Maestro was bebopping around because to him, Brahms IS like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. He was jamming because classical music is what he enjoys, he is blessed to be able to do what he loves and get paid for it.
Life is what you make of it. It may be a cliché, but hey, it’s the way it is. If you think you need to use alcohol or drugs to cope, that is the way of your life. Be ready to embrace that life of addiction, crime and the legal system. But if you can see that there is possibly another way, then welcome to life of Recovery. Just like Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’ll get.” I say, life can’t be all that bad if it’s a box of chocolates, they are all sweet!
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1 comment:
I think it depends upon what you have done. If someone told me he could not reconcile himself with the fact that in the past he'd hurt all the people he'd loved & even every person he had come in contact with, I would understand. What if such a person does not feel any good he did now would ever scratch the surface of making up for the bad he did in the past? I believe it is hard to find new purpose if you feel that way. Maybe, for some people, the only way not to hurt others is to not interact with them; for someone like that, prison is a better choice for all concerned.~Mary
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