Jacksonville – Stepping Stone Center 6:30-7:30pm May 4th, June 15th *There will be no meeting in the month of April

Broward and Palm Beach County - TBA 6:30-7:30pm April 18th, May 16th, June 20th

What is your sober/clean date?
9/17/2009

What was your drug(s) of choice?
Alcoholism

What made you decide to come to SSCR for inpatient treatment?
I had a personal acquaintance with Dr. Z.

Did you make the decision to enter treatment on your own, or did your family, work, courts, church help you with the decision?
My family made all of the pre-arrangements and "convinced" me that I should go.

What did you learn about yourself and addiction while you were at SSCR?
I was controlling and a perfectionist. I hated who I had become. I could not live up to standards of decency I had always set for myself despite my personal convictions and moral code of ethics. Also, I learned that every person in recovery from this deadly disease, has the same issues and problems and past that I have. To know that others suffered the way I did and recover with the help of SSCR treatment and AA was life-changing.

While in treatment you were introduced to the idea of changing people, places and things? What changes have you had to make on your journey of recovery? 
The idea of changing people places and things is part of what drove me out of AA several years ago. Since 1981, I have known I was an alcoholic and I tried changing locations, friends, jobs, hobbies, etc, many times! But, as the Big Book states, those cures don't mean a thing without a spiritual awakening. When I entered SSCR, I admitted I was powerless over alcohol and that my life had become unmanageable. On about day three in SSCR, I came to believe that a power greater than myself was all I had left to rely on or I was going to die. All I needed to change was my heart. I started praying that day and God removed the desire to drink from me. On about day 9, I officially turned my will and my life over the care of God as he spoke to me and I understood that if I follow Him, my life would get better.

How do you maintain your sobriety today?
Daily prayer and meditation, daily AA meetings, big book study, twelve step work with other alcoholics and at treatment centers.

What would you say to someone to help him or her make the decision to go to in-patient treatment?
AA and NA are wonderful programs and are an essential part of a person’s program of recovery.  I needed to jumpstart [my recovery] away from daily distractions and stresses.That is what the treatment center, specifically SSCR provided. I needed the time to learn, to pray, to meditate and to listen without interruption. 

Give an example of a situation you have done differently since maintaining your recovery.
Every day I handle every situation that arises differently than I did before. People actually like me for who I am today. I no longer try to be someone I'm not. I am just the person God intends me to be.

In an effort to maintain a connection with alumni, and for the staff share more of themselves with everyone, we are introducing "Thoughtful Moments".

We asked Stephen Montgomery: Given the intensity of the task of helping people become clean and sober, and the challenges that face both the therapist and the patients, why he did this type of work?

Stephen Montgomery, Therapist

I do this work because I find it to be a wonderful experience to see my patients grow and develop from seeing themselves as worthless to a wonderful beautiful part of creation. It is thrilling to have a family member telephone back and say "thank you for giving me my husband/wife/partner/son/daughter back. It's even more wonderful to hear from former patients who walked in here broken, filled with shame and guilt and hear them say how their lives may not be perfect but they are walking with their heads up. They are now productive members of society. May God grant you all many years filled with peace, love and happiness and never forget about the Spider Monkey!

Help Yourself by Helping Others

If a family member or friend is in need of help, call an Admissions Coordinator for advice. They can get you a copy of our Intervention Guide, a “how-to” kit for convincing a loved one to get treatment. Call 1-800-884-1727.

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice."
~Wayne Dyer  

Prior to recovery from drugs and alcohol I had no idea it was possible to change.  I did not know that I had a choice or that the choices I was making caused the problems in my life.  I blamed people, circumstances, anything so that I was not responsible.  When I made the decision to get clean and sober, I had no idea that meant I would have to change everything.  

I can look back and see how disconnected I had become from myself, my life and how my abuse and use of anything took me out of myself.  Admitting that I needed help was a huge step but then, I also had to ask another person to help me. Asking for help from a sponsor was a change too.  As I began working the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I saw my life and my choices revealed to me, I could no longer blame others. I was able to see that I was the problem.  

Once I became aware I was the common denominator in every situation, I knew it was time to take personal responsibility and that too was a change.  But, that was not enough. I had to make real changes to how I lived my life.  My sponsor and my support system shared their experiences with me and gave me hope that I too could change.  I learned that I had to change the way I thought, felt, and behaved. If I was to start over and live a new life in recovery, I had to change everything.  

There are no excuses for not living the life I want.  Creating the life I deserve necessitates doing the work to make my desires a reality.  I change one thing and that leads me to change another and another.  Soon my responses to people, places, and things will also have to change.  What I do today affects my present and my future.

I have learned that the past is the past, nothing I do now changes the past. But the 12 Steps teach me to accept my past, “not to regret the past nor wish to close the door on it”.   I have learned that I am not my disease.  Today, I am living a productive, sober life free from drugs and alcohol.  I may make mistakes but still I can and do change for the better.  It is empowering to know that.  

Though change may seem overwhelming at times, I have learned that all I need to do is to start with now. Keep it simple. If I stay in the present moment and do the next right thing in front of me, change happens.

Stepping Stone Center Webinars Series

Stepping Stone Center For Recovery in partnership with Lakeview Health Systems and Recovery Connection has launched a new recovery webinar outreach program for graduates of the treatment facility and those in recovery.

This webinar series, coordinated by Alumni Services, is available to all graduates and anyone working on recovery.

The focus throughout the series will be maintaining sobriety, providing new drug and alcohol information, offering tips and exercises, guest speakers, and other issues of concern to our viewers. The webinars are designed to help recovering addicts weather the daily stressors of living, strengthen their sobriety and continue to grow personally.

Viewers can mark their calendars in advance for the last Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm. This project was designed to help graduates and their friends stay connected to Stepping Stone Center For Recovery as a vehicle for ongoing support.

We look forward to your comments, suggestions, and questions. In addition, the link below will allow you to review any webinars that you wish. They are always free.

Should you ever need help with recovery, please give us a call at 1-800-884-1727.

We are very excited by the response we have had to our new alumni educational webinar series.  Continuing to be open to learning new ways of coping while on your journey of self discovery through the recovery process is another way to put space and time between you and your last drink or drug.  We began the webinar series in February 2011. 

We are in the process of building a buddy program and need alumni to help.  This program is designed to connect newly discharged patients with recovering alumni. The buddy system will help those just out of treatment stay focused while they build their local support group. If you are interested in becoming a buddy volunteer, you must have at least a year clean and sober, be attending meetings, and working the 12-step program. If you are interested, please contact Joanna Painton-Hathaway at 1-800-833-9057, or e-mail her at jpainton@steppingstonecfr.com .

Your participation will help you and others stay clean and sober. “You have to give it away to keep it.”