i am off to CEDARs to attend a 6 hour workshop on "the science of addicton and recovery" which is sponsored by Faces and Voices of Recovery and Advocates For Recovery. below is the description of the training from the FAVOR website. it's a "train the trainer" curriculum, so my intention is to learn to help develop a module to deliver to others and expand the understanding of the importance and the miracle (and some nuts and bolts) of recovery and how they work. it seems that so many people don't know much beyond the frustrating (and painful) parts and would rather not discuss it.
last night i picked up Flo Hilliard who will be delivering the training today. the skies and sunset were spectacular as drove her from the DIA circus tent to her hotel. it was almost as if we were watching some computer-generated cinematogrophy unfold. part of me wondered if this was an overview of the activity we would be engaging in with her. ps- my photo captures only a fraction of the grandeur that dominated last evening's sky.
The Science of Addiction and Recovery is a 6 six-hour “train the trainer” training for people in long-term recovery, their families, friends and allies. 6 Professional Development Hours are available for this training!
Join us for this training to: Learn about the science of addiction and recovery Practice teaching others what you have learned Sharpen your skills as a recovery communicator, then take home new tools that you can use with your family, friends and community You will receive three hours of education on the science of addiction and recovery in very easy to understand language and three hours of training on how to deliver the information to others.
An important part of this event is learning how to deliver this training in your community. We encourage you to come in pairs so that you have a buddy to conduct trainings with in the future. If you are not able to sign up with a buddy we will be happy to match you up with someone during the training. There is a space available on the registration form to tell us who you would like to pair up with.
Science of Addiction and Recovery Trainer: Florence (Flo) Hilliard
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.
wednesday may 20, 2009 is "recovery at the capital" . it is a rally at the state capital to raise awareness of the miracle of recovery and the many people it touches.
some friends of mine are on the organizing committee and have asked me to speak. not sure what to say,(and having torn up several versions) i have settled upon the following. it is based entirely on crowd interaction, so i hope it goes well. luckily, my friends are hams, so they can pull any disaster out of the toilet.
there is a tag line this year which is " with recovery- everybody wins- the individual, the family, the workplace, the community....
Wow! My name is Rod Rushing and I am humbly and gratefully living in long term recovery. What a beautiful day! And how amazing you all look!! Recovery has indeed been a miracle in my life. You know, I have heard that "with recovery- everybody wins".. The individual wins..... hmmmm i wonder... How many people here are living in long term recovery.... ???? Do you feel like you're winning??? seems like a good fit...
The family wins..... How many of you are family members of someone living in recovery???? Would you agree that the family wins with recovery????
Next is the workplace.... Are there people with us today that work with someone that lives in recovery??? Are they good to work with???? Are they sometimes even over-achiever's???? Would you say it's a win????
Finally we have our community... The family, the street where we live, the neighborhoods, the cities, the suburbs, the rural communities, the treatment community, the LGBTQ community, the HIV community, the 12 step community, the spiritual community, the law enforcement and drug court community, the family services community, the healthcare community, the taxpayer community, the mental health community..... all these and the rest of our larger Colorado community win when recovery is there.
There is a national recovery advocate organization based out of Washington which is called FAVOR. This stands for Faces And Voices Of Recovery. They work diligently on a national level to raise awareness and identity of the miracle of recovery to state and federal lawmakers and policymakers whenever possible. They were even responsible for the introduction of the very first "recovery rooms" at a national political convention. These recovery rooms debuted right here in Colorado last August with the amazing Democratic Convention. Many of you volunteered and participated in this ground breaking event.
Additionally, here in Colorado, we are blessed to have 2 organizations doing recovery advocacy right in our midst. Advocates For Recovery and Surrounded By Recovery have been diligently making recovery more visible and viable to our local lawmakers, policymakers, and our citizens. the work in tandem with FAVOR and "we" are part of a national movement. And we need you to get involved. Sign up on the mailing lists... Volunteer to help to outreach or an event. Make this movement become stronger..September is National Recovery Month. Get a team together and join the Recovery Walk down the 16th Street Mall, raise awareness, and raise some funds to help build the 1st peer-led recovery center for our state.
As President Obama has stated: "The War On Drugs has failed"--- might I add fairly miserably.... LESS INCARCERATION.... MORE RECOVERY.... Maybe we could advocate visibly and vocally for recovery instead....
I know recovery works.... We know recovery works......Our families believe recovery works..... our workplaces and human resource departments can testify that recovery works... and hopefully our communities, our cities, and our state will embrace the idea that recovery works.....
Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real...Jules Verne
today is the first annual "surrounded by recovery" event in denver. it is the brainchild of a friend named mark wonder. mark and i have travelled in similar circles completely separate from each other until sobriety. our paths have crossed and i must say, i'm richer for it.
his energy is unfathomable. his outreach is tireless. his ability to get things done is mind boggling. but there is a whole team of huge-hearted individuals behind this effort. i will there in body, mind, and spirit. i think working for change makes more sense than wishing for it.
sbr is designed as a public awareness event and to bring the idea to the legislature that recovery works and that long term recovery is a reality as well as an asset. to highlight that recovery might be a good thing to put tax dollars towards instead of a futile war against drugs or anything else. recovery is real. insurance companies would be doing our nation a favor to participate more. recovery inclusive language in our letters and deeds would benefit us all.
so starting today, there will be a gathering at the capital of the state of colorado, of persons in recovery or in support of recovery, holding hands and encircling the gold-domed building with the intention of letting the lawmakers inside know that recovery is a change that happens. and it changes more than just one life. that one changed life changes other lives. it is a chain reaction. a domino effect. and we believe it's worth taking notice.
And now it’s all around me It’s all around me I’m surrounded Now it’s all around me It’s all around me You surround me like a circle rest of lyrics here
Recovery can begin in a doctor’s office, treatment center, church, prison, peer support meeting or in one’s own home. The journey can be guided by religious faith, spiritual experiences or secular teachings. Recovery happens every day across our country and there are effective solutions for people still struggling. Whatever the route, it will be far easier to travel if people seeking recovery can enjoy respect for their basic rights: from faces and voices of recovery
1. We have the right to be viewed as capable of changing, growing, and becoming positively connected to our community, no matter what we did in the past because of our addiction.
2. We have the right—as do our families and friends —to know about the many pathways to recovery, the nature of addiction and the barriers to long-term recovery, all conveyed in ways that we can understand.
3. We have the right, whether seeking recovery in the community, a physician’s office, treatment center, or while incarcerated, to set our own recovery goals, working with a personalized recovery plan that we have designed based on accurate and understandable information about our health status, including a comprehensive, holistic assessment.
4. We have the right to select services that build on our strengths, armed with full information about the experience, and credentials of the people providing services, and the effectiveness of the services and programs from which we are seeking help.
5. We have the right to be served by organizations or health care and social service providers that view recovery positively, meet the highest public health and safety standards, provide rapid access to services, treat us respectfully, understand that our motivation is related to successfully accessing our strengths and will work with us and our families to find a pathway to recovery.
6. We have the right to be considered as more than a statistic, stereotype, risk score, diagnosis, label, or pathology unit—free from the social stigma that characterizes us as weak or morally flawed. If we relapse and begin treatment again, we should be treated with dignity and respect that welcomes our continued efforts to achieve long-term recovery.
7. We have the right to a health care and social services system that recognizes the strengths and needs of people with addiction and coordinates its efforts to provide recovery-based care that honors and respects our cultural beliefs. This support may include introduction to religious, spiritual and secular communities of recovery, and the involvement of our families, kinship networks and indigenous healers as part of our treatment experience.
8. We have the right to be represented by informed policymakers who remove barriers to educational, housing,and employment opportunities once we are no longer misusing alcohol or other drugs and are on the road to recovery.
9. We have the right to respectful, nondiscriminatory care from doctors and other health care providers and to receive services on the same basis as people do for any other chronic illness, with the same provisions, co payments, lifetime benefits and catastrophic coverage in insurance, self funded/ self-insured health plans, Medicare and HMO plans. The criteria of “proper” care should be exclusively between our health care providers and ourselves; it should reflect the severity, complexity and duration of our illness and provide a reasonable opportunity for recovery maintenance.
10. We have the right to treatment and recovery support in the criminal justice system and to regain our place and rights in society once we have served our sentences.
11. We have the right to speak out publicly about our recovery to let others know that long-term recovery from addiction is a reality.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill
since my becoming involved with advocates for recovery, i have found that there really are advocates for recovery around this country who are actively and intelligently working towards change around laws and opportunities for people in recovery. thousands of them.
one of the most diligent i would say, is an organization called favor- faces and voices of recovery. they are definitely behind the national recovery month and the legion of recovery rallies earmarked for september 20th. there might be one in your city or a city near you. and i encourage you to consider getting involved. it's my experience that almost everyone knows someone who has a serious drug or alcohol problem. probably more than one. and when we as a society can discuss and encourage recovery intelligently, perhaps more people will choose this option long before they shred their lives to bits.
here is the latest publication from favor which resonates deeply with me. i would love to hear your feedback. it is titled the recovery bill of rights and is aimed for lawmakers and loved ones across the land.
We can safeguard hope and improve the lives of millions of Americans, their families, and communities if we treat addiction to alcohol and other drugs as the public health crisis that it is. To overcome this crisis, we must accord dignity to people with addiction and recognize that there is no one path to recovery. Individuals can recover on their own or with the help of others. Effective aid can be rendered by mutual support groups or health care professionals.
Recovery can begin in a doctor’s office, treatment center, church, prison, peer support meeting or in one’s own home. The journey can be guided by religious faith, spiritual experiences or secular teachings. Recovery happens every day across our country and there are effective solutions for people still struggling. Whatever the route, it will be far easier to travel if people seeking recovery can enjoy respect for their basic rights:
1. We have the right to be viewed as capable of changing, growing, and becoming positively connected to our community, no matter what we did in the past because of our addiction.
2. We have the right—as do our families and friends —to know about the many pathways to recovery, the nature of addiction and the barriers to long-term recovery, all conveyed in ways that we can understand.
3. We have the right, whether seeking recovery in the community, a physician’s office, treatment center, or while incarcerated, to set our own recovery goals, working with a personalized recovery plan that we have designed based on accurate and understandable information about our health status, including a comprehensive, holistic assessment.
4. We have the right to select services that build on our strengths, armed with full information about the experience, and credentials of the people providing services, and the effectiveness of the services and programs from which we are seeking help.
5. We have the right to be served by organizations or health care and social service providers that view recovery positively, meet the highest public health and safety standards, provide rapid access to services, treat us respectfully, understand that our motivation is related to successfully accessing our strengths and will work with us and our families to find a pathway to recovery.
6. We have the right to be considered as more than a statistic, stereotype, risk score, diagnosis, label, or pathology unit—free from the social stigma that characterizes us as weak or morally flawed. If we relapse and begin treatment again, we should be treated with dignity and respect that welcomes our continued efforts to achieve long-term recovery.
7. We have the right to a health care and social services system that recognizes the strengths and needs of people with addiction and coordinates its efforts to provide recovery-based care that honors and respects our cultural beliefs. This support may include introduction to religious, spiritual and secular communities of recovery, and the involvement of our families, kinship networks and indigenous healers as part of our treatment experience.
8. We have the right to be represented by informed policymakers who remove barriers to educational, housing,and employment opportunities once we are no longer misusing alcohol or other drugs and are on the road to recovery.
9. We have the right to respectful, nondiscriminatory care from doctors and other health care providers and to receive services on the same basis as people do for any other chronic illness, with the same provisions, co payments, lifetime benefits and catastrophic coverage in insurance, self funded/ self-insured health plans, Medicare and HMO plans. The criteria of “proper” care should be exclusively between our health care providers and ourselves; it should reflect the severity, complexity and duration of our illness and provide a reasonable opportunity for recovery maintenance.
10. We have the right to treatment and recovery support in the criminal justice system and to regain our place and rights in society once we have served our sentences.
11. We have the right to speak out publicly about our recovery to let others know that long-term recovery from addiction is a reality.
"Sometimes its like someone took a knife baby Edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley Through the middle of my soul
At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet And a freight train running through the Middle of my head Only you can cool my desire Im on fire"
