Recovery Movement: My Purpose, My Motivation

 

“How did you get involved with ‘addicts’?” is the question I receive more than any other. Please don’t be offended by my use of the word “addict” as it not coming from me. The harmful and damaging word, is the word of choice used by people on the outside of the movement. I was that person not long ago.

I am a full time physical therapist and active investor. It was the investor in me that lead me to become involved in recovery residences and find a passion for the Recovery Movement. It is important for me to be clear, and you to be aware, that it was not out of altruism or a giving heart that lead me to be aware of the Recovery Movement.

One of the ongoing discussions is whether or not people in recovery should remain anonymous, or join a movement for change. I do not have the experience to give you that answer but I do know that a movement is desperately needed.

How do I know?

Because like me, I have never heard of a person being moved to join or help the Recovery Movement outside of people with direct experience to addiction through personal use or being close to someone who struggled. That leaves 10’s of millions of people like me that are painfully ignorant, uninvolved, and voting based on the stigma propagated by media. More on this to come....

So when people asked me how I got involved, that was my initial answer....an investment. Piece of cake right? I had a house manager who would take care of everything for me. All of the guys in the house followed strict rules and were on there way to a beautiful new life!

If any of you have ever lived in a recovery house, I can hear your laughing at me right now!

Pathetic, I know. I am opening up to you about my embarrassing, simplistic and pathetic view of recovery because I want you guys to know that is how the world sees it..... “drugs are a personal flaw of self control and are easily fixed when the person decides to not be lazy anymore. Only lazy, selfish, junkies keep using.” That pervasive view has been holding back good policy on recovery for years.

But most of you already know this. This is not news to you, but it was for me and that is one of the purposes that has driven me to write.

Not long ago, I posted a question to several Facebook recovery pages asking how a guy like me can contribute. After all, I have never struggled with addiction and have never been very close to anyone who has. I am the ultimate “outsider.” How can I help without coming across as disingenuous and offending the people that I care about?

I received a lot of great answers and encouragement. Many individuals commented that being a person on the “outside” who actually cared was enough. I own a recovery residence in Boise, ID named Phoenix House. I am sincere in my intentions to run the home as a people over profit endeavor, focusing on providing value to each person that lives with us.

But, I have to admit, I have made a lot of stupid decisions based on my ignorance of recovery.

I have learned a lot. Thankfully, I now work with a great house manager and partner that is there to gently correct my so called "good intentions,” without making me feel like an idiot....I’m learning.

But I have been feeling this flood of passion continually build in my heart to do more. Thus, this blog. The purpose of this blog is three fold:

1. To bring greater awareness of the true nature of addiction and recovery to the general population

2.  To put my ideas forth in the desire to get usable feedback from the Recovery Community on how people like me, so-called “normies” or “straight edge” people can make a difference. I need your feedback!

3. To distribute and learn policies and ideas that make recovery residences like ours, effective aids in life transformation.

So to answer the initial question of why a person like me is involved in this movement: I have always felt that God has given me a purpose to be a servant to people. At this moment and in my generation, I have never personally encountered a community so misunderstood, stigmatized, and ill treated as this one. It is shameful and I was part of the problem.

It feels somewhat odd that this would be my person since I am an outsider, never having a a substance use problem.  But it is, nonetheless, and I think there is place for people like me.

Let me know what you think?

As a person that is not in recovery, in what ways can I be effective for change?  In what areas of recovery am I not welcome? Or would not be effective?  Or would make things worse?