Are You Ready to Share Your Story of Recovery? by American Addiction Centers

Prior to his current role as Chief Community Recovery Officer, Randal served eight years as Assistant Commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. In 2008, he was recognized by the Praed Foundation as a national “Systems Champion” for implementing a statewide children’s assessment for DCS. He also received the Friend of Children Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 from Tennessee Voices for Children after seven years on their board. Randal was also recognized in both 2000 and in 2015 as Professional of the Year by the Middle Tennessee chapter of the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors . Randal Lea, our Chief Community Recovery Officer is a licensed addictions counselor with 30 years of clinical and administrative experience. Your gift to Cumberland Heights through our annual and capital initiates gives immediate support to patients and their families. To make a longer term impact a gift to the endowment fund will provide patient assistance funding for years to come.

Here are some of the important ways hearing your story helps them. Find treatment facilities and programs in the United States or U.S. Territories for mental and substance use disorders. It is also about the people who have supported you along the way. Be sure to acknowledge your entire support system in your story. This includes your family, friends, therapist, sponsor, 12-step group, and anyone else who has helped you on your journey.

Give Back by Telling Your Story – It Could Save a Life

For some people, the prospect of doing this may be very scary and foreign. If you have trouble opening up to people or you’re not sure how, or even if you want to share your story, this sharing your story in recovery blog is for you. Once a person becomes sober, the physical symptoms of alcohol or drug addiction pass rather quickly. But the psychological effects can last for a very long time.

You may at any time to notify us of your desire not to receive these offers. It was then and there where I had a moment of clarity that by not sharing, I was being selfish. While I may not have all the answers and have no delusion in my mind that what I say is going to save everyone’s life, there might be someone in there who needs to hear something I’m going to share. If I’m too afraid to share, I might be depriving someone of hearing some hope that they need in order to stay sober that day. There are plenty of other celebrities in recovery who are also in the limelight, but not all of them are so willing to share the details of how they got sober. With regular speaking engagements and his memoir Dreamseller, Brandon Novak makes it a point to share his recovery story and for good reason. Your story of hope and recovery may be someone else’s saving light – a message that they are not alone and their situation is far from hopeless.

Why is it so meaningful to give to Cumberland Heights?

I feel that in order to decrease and abolish the stigma, we all need to do our part. There’s an immense amount of power in personal experiences. Not only can it help you build a connection with your clients, but it can also establish trust. As a community outreach professional for addiction treatment, I know that convincing individuals to take such an important step to get help can be difficult.

Focus on improving your concepts of relationships and how that differs from when you were in active addiction. Note that all of these recovery success tips involve engaging with your sober community and support system. In many ways, it is sharing your own personal story with others that opens the door to deeper connections, which supports recovery in so many important ways. When your home environment is not conducive to a healthy recovery, you may wish to consider spending a few months in transitional sober living. A well-managed sober living home will ensure a substance-free space, a daily routine, a requirement to work or attend school, and weekly engagement in house meetings.

Recovery Connection

They may ask you how they can talk to their loved one or when you knew you needed help. Whatever you say to them, whether answering their questions, suggesting strategies, or sharing good or bad experiences, could provide potential solutions to what they are going through with their loved one.

Telling your story can also be frightening if you have trouble opening up to others. It is a skill everyone should have if they want to stay sober. Find some tips for sharing the story in a way that honors you and your recovery community.