KCI The Anti_Meth Site

What was most helpful in your recovery?

scgirl	What was most helpful in your recovery? I posted around 14 months ago asking where I could obtain information on treatment centers designed for recovering women and their children. I am pleased to announce that through working w/ my local HOR, professors and my governor, we have a two year grant to run a group recovery home for 12 women, 2 children each and no males over the age of 12. During a recent brainstorming and planning session it has been suggested that some areas/ focuses of recovery might be more beneficial than others and monies should be allocated to these. For example, a professor thought that women might not be tempted to relapse, as frequently or if at all, if we do life skill training and intensive family/ bonding therapy. It has also been suggested that perhaps 3 hours a week of psychiatric care will not be sufficient for 12 women and possibly their children. Thus far, all needed care, has been generously and freely given. We do have a small budget that will allow for a part time professional, if needed. Any further help, suggestions or your own opinion will be greatly appreciated. I will be sharing your suggestions at our next planning session. I will not share names or the name of the board, only your answers. Thank you for your time.
Replies...
scorpio	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? Working the 12 steps with a sponsor, and self esteem classes. I suggest giving the girls the means to go to women's meetings outside of the treatment home,,, (i.e. transportation and child care).
forget suzette	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? basically.....not doing it helped the most in my recovery. what kept me from using?...I moved where I can't get to it. why do I feel "recovery"? at least I know from watching people relapse. ...I might as well pick up a gun as a bag of dope. you don't come back the same as you left. I learned it's actually suicide. .....not just partying. "I'll just do a little"............it does a little more of you.
nine years clean	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? I cannot emphasize enough how much the fellowship of addicts helping addicts helped me to stay clean. I attended NA meetings more than 2-3 times per day for the first 3-4 months that I was clean. NOBODY throughout the early years of my recovery impacted me more than those recovering addicts who had come before me, worked the steps, and helped the newcomers.
Morph24	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? have them do at least 90 meetings in 90 days. also the kids need to be in some kind of recovery too. they might not have done the drugs but they were probably subject to the behavior. i hear a lot drugs are just a system of the disease. gl with what your doing its great that you are able to do all this.
Ignor amus	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? First of all: rock on!!!!!!!!! That's excellent work you did, and all of the suggestions above are very good ones. Although I did kind of flinch when you said no males over the age of twelve. What about the thirteen year old son? Are there provisions to provide for the care of the older males? I think they will feel further trauma if, say, their sixteen year old sister and eleven year old brother are all good, but they are not allowed. Just one small concern I have regarding this otherwise brilliant thing that you have done.
ROSE NINA	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? No desire to use. I come here, and also get help from other support groups. I prey and I prey more. I don't want to go to that hellish life again!!!
scgirl	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? I am responding to your concerns expressed regarding the 12 and over male stipulation. That is actually a Department of Health and Children rule and since our center houses children, we have to follow their rules also. I have no answer for your question at this time, we only received a two year grant and lease. I do not want to "rock the boat" and possibly risk the pulling of any funds before we open and have a chance. I do know that some domestic violence shelters for women follow similar rules regarding adolescent males. It is unfortunate and I am not even sure of the reason behind such a rule. Thanks though for your support and interest.
BentBut Not Broken1	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? Hopefully you'll find an appropriate venue for the 13 y.o. boy to get the help he needs to heal also in some form. It never hurts to ask around...networking rocks. Having medical doctors available for physical health concerns has been extremely beneficial to me. I started with a substance abuse counselor which at first did do me much good. I switched to a psychologist and have gained immeasurably from that switch. Hopefully, that will be available to you, also. I know 12-Step programs have a spiritual basis. I needed a deep spiritual basis to do my best recovery. Thus, I'm working the 12 Steps of Celebrate Recovery in a local church. All I'm saying is keep an open mind that some need God and church very deeply and centrally to do their recovery work. Creative outlets would be helpful...such as journaling, art, writing, etc. Maybe some locals would volunteer to teach arts and crafts at some point. Keeping the hands busy expands the self-esteem also...seeing something you have created...awesome! Lastly, acupuncture and massage therapy have done wonders in more ways than I can express. I'd dearly love to have something like this available here. I'm seeing more and more need and no place to go unless you have the dough, sadly. Thank you in advance!!! Please let us know how things go with your efforts?!
Penel0pe	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? What helps me the most is Narcotics Anonymous.
teqa peq	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? For me it was the 12 step meetings. I believe that's the meat of the program. For me it's where the healing began. I never got much out of open meetings.
no more mething around	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? This is awesome !!! For me, I did a "Displaced Homemaker" program. It really, really helped. It was a program in PHX. Perhaps you could google it and take a look. Life skills, self esteem help....VERY important. Makeovers for the women...new clothing....how to manage finances. You know how good a new hairstyle and an outfit makes you feel. One of the things we deal with is the weight gain. An exercise program to get those brain feel good chemicals flowing would be great.
Northapt	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? We have a few programs similar to yours here in Spokane, Sadly, all these type of programs are woefully under funded. We see programs designed around group living, self-esteem classes, parenting classes. Try to have someone on staff with Chemical Dependency training. Too often social workers that may grab jobs at these transition houses may not understand addiction. I see where grants that are available may dictate what the program looks like so we end up having legislators designing recovery houses. Yikes!!
jes78	Re: What was most helpful in your recovery? what scorpio said i agree with. i lived in a 1 yr facility for woman w/ children we were required to have a sponsor and went to na mtgs every other night. there was child care and transportation. during the day we had groups on trauma, coping and child care. we lived w/ our kids and it was the best start i could have been given. prior to this place, i had lived on the streets, prisons, and court ordered rehabs. this was thru the court, but my decision. it was my first home, and i still visit it frequently. after my 1 yr, i relapsed, but it was the skills i learned there that let me get clean again and get my child back. good luck