Dear Friends and
Colleagues,
Another Holiday season is upon us. I am beyond
astounded that it is December and in a short time we will be ringing in another
New Year- 2009! This year, 2008 has been a different and often difficult time
not only for our field of service but for our nation with the economic crisis.
We have seen the concern and panic slow down and often hinder the willingness
of families and potential clients to spend the resources to seek treatment. Our
nation faces a newly inspired hope of change in the new year with abundance and
opportunity. The following is my letter from last year but in light of our nation's
current economic situation, I thought it was worth repeating.........
Here we are at that
time of year again. Yes, the time of year when I am afraid of turning on the
television- even for a football game, going shopping- even to the grocery store
or sometimes even leaving the house- watching our neighbors unloading trunks
full of abundant surprises. Everywhere we look are advertisements for
everything one would need to feel "loved and happy". That is the underlying
message sent throughout the season. The more you "get" or the more you "give"
(material possessions) the better you will feel. Well I say "bah humbug" to the
billion dollar advertising campaigns!!!
How about creating a
tradition of an experiential holiday season, sharing of ourselves and not from
our wallets? Instead, how about spending all the time we would have spent
shopping at the malls or on the internet, hunting for that "perfect" gift, on
time for ourselves and with those we care most about. Presence, not presents. Lets be honest, that's what we
want most of all anyways, is to feel like we belong and matter to others, to
spend time with those we care for and care about, those who we see every day or
only on holidays, those who by being with them we feel "loved and happy."
This season create an
experience for you and your loved ones that will be cherished for years to
come. Pool all the family resources that would have been used on a gift
exchange and buy tickets for a theater show, and go as a group. Or take a
trip to the snow for the day or a winter bonfire at the beach, with hot
chocolate and s'mores. Has anyone ever seen grandpa on a surf board or in
a snowball fight? Our family has and it is the gift that keeps on giving. I
guarantee that years from now, no one will remember which rescue hero or what
bottle of perfume they received from whom. They will remember our presence, the
time we shared, the laughs we had, and the traditions that were created. It is
a legacy to leave and there is no time like the present to share our presence.
May you be blessed with
the presence of everyone you cherish this holiday season!
All my best,
Your Ally in Good Health! 
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Support Through The Holidays - Top Ten List
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From our friend Kristina Wandzilak, Interventionist and author
of the best selling memoir The Lost Years.
As a family interventionist, I have spent the last
12 years supporting families of addiction through the holiday season and into
the New Year. Some families are still waging the war, trying to save themselves
and their loved ones and some families are in early, middle or the later stages
of recovery. Whatever phase families are in they all need support and guidance.
I have come up with the top ten suggestions I have given families over the
years. I hope they help you or someone you love.
1. Tell the truth. Families of addiction are
afraid to tell the truth. The most painful truths, when told with compassion,
can mend broken relationships. It is not pain that splinters families, it is
dishonesty. Be honest with yourself and those you love. Take the risk to live a
transparent life. Hide nothing; Live open.
2. Be mindful of your own relationship with
alcohol and other chemicals. You cannot pass on what you do not have. Be an
example.
3. Do not let your holiday plans be derailed by
another person's choices or consequences. Addiction will derail the best laid
plans if you allow it. Stay focused on path, your family will follow.
4. Create new family holiday traditions that do
not include alcohol. If addiction has affected your family first hand, it makes
sense to take a break from all substances and enjoy life and the holidays
unaltered, sometimes for the first time, in years.
5. Do not be afraid to be different. Not as many
people as you think will notice if you choose to take on number 4. Set the tone
for your family and lead the way. It simply is not true, that 'everyone drinks
at the holidays.' Be brave. Be sober.
6. Attend a 12 step meeting. You do not have to
have your own addiction to attend a 12 meeting and the redemption in the rooms
is almost contagious and the good will palpable.
7. Be of service to someone else. Give freely of
your time. Nothing soothes the soul like getting outside of yourself.
8. Play. Families that have been affected by
addiction become accustom to heavy tension, free floating fear and a sense of
powerlessness, to help themselves and those they love most. Over time, this
'walking on egg shells feeling' becomes the norm. Families need to play. Run on
the beach, walk down a sidewalk and notice something you have not before, or
get up five minutes earlier and simply stare out the window and take in the
beauty of early morning.
9. Write a gratitude list. Families of addiction
can have a narrow tunnel of vision as addiction slowly takes over the lives of
the family members.Write a gratitude list. Put down everything you are grateful
for. I guarantee that by you get number 10 you will begin to feel better, if
only for moments.
10. Remember, it is possible to be 'happy,
joyous and free', with addiction in your life. Families and addicts can
recover, transformation is possible and redemption, 12 steps away.
Contact Kristina at:
Kristina
Wandzilak, C.A.S. BRI-II
Executive Director
Full Circle Intervention
www.fullcircleintervention.com
New Office 1 415 747 8224
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A Thousand Years of Healing
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A wonderful Holiday message and poem which speaks to our work.
This was sent to us by Dr Lou Cox.
Dr. Cox is a wonderful therapist and friend in New York City.
We hope you all have the best of holidays and
a healthy, wealthy,
and wise New Year.
A Thousand Years of Healing
From whence my hope, I cannot say,
except it grows in the cells of my skin;
in my envelope of mysteries it hums.
In this sheath so akin to the surface of the earth
it whispers. Beneath
the wail and dissonance in the world,
hope's song grows, until I know
that with this turning
we put a broken age to rest.
We who are alive at such a cusp
now usher in
one thousand years of healing!
Winged ones and four-leggeds,
grasses and mountains and each tree,
all the swimming creatures,
even we, wary two-leggeds
hum, and call, and create
the Changing Song. We remake
all our relations. We convert
our minds to the earth. In this turning time
we finally learn to chime and blend,
attune our voices; sing
the vision
of the Great Magic we move within.
We begin the new habit, getting up glad
for a thousand years of healing.
Susa Silvermarie
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You can read further about Dr Cox at egomechanics.com
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A Bridge to
Recovery
Hired Power's Certified
Personal Recovery Assistants help
make recovery last. From navigating social situations and establishing everyday
routines to attending meetings, therapy sessions or outpatient programs, we
deliver discreet, one-on-one in home support and guidance.
Safe Passage
Traveling to a treatment center for many individuals is
filled with stress and anxiety. We provide Safe Passage for the clients
and families. Hired Power's Certified Personal Recovery Assistants/Sober
Companions are able to travel to the client's home, assist them in the
necessary preparations and accompany them to the door of the treatment setting.
This services increasing the success rate of a client entering a treatment
setting.
Often time clients need to return home during the course of
treatment for a family situation, legal issue, or a program home pass. The Certified
Personal Recovery Assistant will arrive at the Treatment
Center meet with the clinical team
for direction and provide Safe Passage for the client during
necessary excursions from treatment. This service has helped to bring
continuity to the experience and decrease the risk of a client's relapse or not
returning to the treatment setting.
Our Certified Personal Recovery Assistants can
support a physician with an in home detoxification. Under the doctors
supervision we provide 24 hour in home support and supervision of an individual
as they go through a detox protocol. This service has allowed fearful clients
to receive the medical attention necessary within a familiar environment.
Safe and Structured Transitions
Transitioning from treatment to daily living is very
emotional and challenging. Often, utilizing the newly learned skills and
information necessary to achieve long-term recovery is blocked with fear and
anxiety. The moment of discharge from a treatment setting through the initial
seven days is an extremely high-risk period of early recovery. Our Certified
Personal Recovery Assistants accompany clients during these
transition periods. We assist in the application of the newly acquired skills
and information making the discharge plan into a daily living plan. We are
there in the quiet hours, involved in the daily schedule, supporting the client
in connecting with the identified treatment professionals and fellowship in
their area and following through with learning to live a healthy focused
lifestyle. In essence we help to increase the success of the journey to long-term
recovery.
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Contact Us:
(800) 910-9299
West Coast Connections:
nzumwalt@hiredpower.com
monique@hiredpower.com
East Coast Connections:
Amy@hiredpower.com
ONLINE
Sober Transitions BLOG
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HP CPRA
SPOTLIGHT
(we keep our faces to ourselves)
Meet Charles M.
New York
Charles is an artist and instructor with a passion and
commitment to teaching the visual arts. He strives to encourage and develop
young people with their need for creativity and to assist them in achieving
their highest level of productivity and comprehension of the craft of painting
and drawing.
Based in New York City Charles has spent the last 17 years working with
countless alcoholics and addicts on a one on one basis. He has continued to
lead a personal 12 step program that is strong on meetings, sharing and
fellowship. In the same vain of his commitment to guiding students Charles
works as a Personal Recovery Assistant with Hired Power to assist clients in
early recovery. Charles believes, "The gift of sobriety is not free or
easy. It requires diligence, patience, perseverance and the willingness to
endure through difficult times." Charles has an incredible gift of
inspiring others to achieve their own highest level of personal success and
productivity. We are grateful to Charles for his dedication to recovery
and his ability to mentor others as part of the Hired Power team!!
Feel free to request Charles for you or your clients CPRA.
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Behavioral Health and Addictive Disorders
Clearwater Beach, FL
January 12-15, 2009
800-851-9100 ext 220
NATSAP
January 29-31, 2009
www.natsap.org
NCADD
National Council for Alcohol and Drug Dependence
San Diego, CA
February 27, 2008
Betty Ford Women's Symposium
Long Beach, CA
March 7, 2009
US JournalTherapeutic & Alcohol/Drug interventions
Las Vegas Hilton
March 27-29th, 2009
Process Addictions
Foundation Recovery Network
April 22-24, 2009
The Palms Resort
Las Vegas, Nevada
www.dualdiagnosis.org
UKESAD
6th Annual UK/European Symposium on addictive Disorders
May 14-16, 2009
www.ukesad.org
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What IS a CPRA?
A Certified Personal
Recovery Assistant
is a professional individual who is qualified to provide guidance, support and mentoring to people struggling with addiction and mental health issues, in the home or on the road. This certification was created to address the growing concern around the need to distinguish between a professional service and individuals offering similar services. Click here for more information on CPRA services or how to become a Hired Power CPRA.
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Spread The Word
Hired Power believes in partnering with one another to support the programs and events within the addiction and mental health profession. If you have community events you would like us to announce for you, we would be glad to put it up on our blog. Send us all your event details and any digital artwork in an email to info@hiredpower.com and we will put your event up on our blog on a first come first served basis. |
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Hired Power
'In The News'
The New York Post featured an article on Sober Companions providing support to individuals over the holidays. Check it out here: NY Post Article: NIXED DRINK
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