Porn: Death was the Only Way Out for Some

Source:  www.thepinkcross.org

Treatment and Recovery Reform would Explain a Lot

Fox News Link:  Calls for Mental Health Reform Grow after Newtown Massacre

Recommended Reading: Could LifeRing be the next Big Step for Recovery?

It is good to be sober for almost 14 years and I am glad I made it this far by giving myself a second chance at life.  Everyday feels like a gift and every night I go to bed looking forward to the new possibilities the next day will bring.  I feel that way about life because I know life is here for me to make the most of it. 

When we enter recovery, we are uncertain about everything and wonder how and from whom we are going to receive the effective direction we need to get sober.  Those of us who make it in this journey of seeking the new sober life, realize that the person we need effective direction from the most, is our self!   The fact is this solution often remains unseen because we never realize that we must be teachable in order to find recovery.

One thing many of us are convinced of, is that our way of thinking does not work, because if it did, we would have never ended up addicted in the first place.  The truth is that addiction has taught us to no longer be teachable and when we get sober and learn new ways of living, we realize that being teachable is a large part of being sober.  But when we gain long-term recovery of five or more years, how do we get society to understand that for us there is no way back to the addicted way of life?

Society does not see us as people who are capable of having respectable lives ever again.  This is, without a doubt, where all people in recovery hit a stone wall, no matter how much they achieve in his or her recovery.  Because of this very sad reality, many do not see the point in staying sober.   Over time, many of us learn that society is ready to forget that we were addicts but they are not willing to forgive us and accept us as changed people.  This is simply not fair to those of us who have conquered our recovery and have done the work necessary to become contributing members of society. 

A few months ago, I was invited to speak on a panel in Santa Barbara, California.  The panel was about drug policy and the conversation was very loaded.  I wondered if there was anything I would come away with in terms of tools to help others in recovery.  Unfortunately, this is seldom the case.  But to my surprise I got an email from a sober man who told me about LifeRing Secular Recovery.  I looked up this program and was impressed with what I found.  Cofounder Martin Nicolaus has written a groundbreaking book entitled "Empowering Your Sober Self" about new solutions for recovery.  He has also pointed out what is wrong with our current system of recovery and how we can fix it.  LifeRing is a brand new hope on the horizon for those looking for a different solution to recovery.  It takes a healthier position than any other program I have ever seen and it’s creators have an in-depth understanding on how to make recovery more attractive for those who are looking to recover from a place of good character and self-empowerment.

I give LifeRing an A+ and recommend it to anyone who is looking for effective solutions to our broken system of recovery.  I especially recommend it to the courts that are bound by the Constitution from sending people in to the 12-Step program because it is a program based on religion.

Rodney King Failed Recovery, and Recovery Failed Rodney King

Rodney King was not exactly a model citizen.  No one who abuses drugs over a prolonged period of time is.   But I always hoped Rodney King would try to change and get the help he needed to have a normal life.   He often said he had a very tough time figuring out who he was supposed to be to the world.  And after today’s Los Angeles County Coroner report, citing King’s death was ruled an accidental drowning due to an episode of drug and alcohol induced delirium; I wonder if King ever even understood the principles of recovery from addiction at all.  

When we truly recover from addiction, no matter who we are, we don’t feel like we are lost in the world.  That feeling is something we bring on ourselves.  When we recover and keep working on our recovery, we become as much a part of the world as anyone else who is striving to live a normal life.  There is no question that this takes years, but it is a possibility for those who are committed to recovery.  Therefore, if there were ever a more tragic example that recovery is failing those who are getting sober, it would be the example of Rodney King.  Why?  Because King was able to get to the best help available in treatment for addiction and it did not work.

I want to be absolutely clear about this, addiction to PCP is a very serious problem. Back in 1991, when the Rodney King beating became an issue of global outrage, people were skeptical whether or not Rodney King was on PCP at the time of his beating.  No one other than the L.A.P.D. really wanted to make an issue out of it but it did not track with the mainstream media.  As was alleged by Los Angeles police officers, King had a kind of superhuman strength, a sign of PCP intoxication, when officers tried to get him to comply with their orders.  And while the King beating was unforgivable; from a clinical point of view, the recovery establishment has a lot to answer for, because there is absolutely no excuse for King to have died the way he did.      

The treatment model used by anyone who tried to treat King’s addiction should be closely evaluated.  Successful recovery is not about taking the easy way out.  Successful recovery is principle centered and self-directed through a journey of continuous learning, so that the fundamentals of recovery can be established by a recovering addicts' own power.