For a lot of our clients this holiday season will be their first sober Christmas and New Years, which brings about a lot of excitement and gratitude for their new lives.  They will know what it feels like to truly enjoy giving instead of receiving.  After all, there is no better gift they could give to their families than the gift of sobriety.  They might even discover that a season they used to dread is not only enjoyable but something they will look forward to in the future.

However, for some of our clients (and recovering alcoholics and addicts in general for that matter), celebrating this holiday season sober with family and friends isn’t an exciting prospect, its downright scary.  What is one to do if the family drinks and drugs the way he used to before he got sober?  What if he’s the only one there not drinking?  What if his alcoholic father picks a fight with him AGAIN?  Is it possible to stay sober through this stuff?

Any recovering person would tell you the answer to that question is an emphatic “yes”!  It is not only possible, it is a guarantee as long as the recovering alcoholic/addict is willing to stay sober and willing to take the suggestions of his fellow recovering alcoholics and addicts.

For our clients, we require a plan in writing before leaving to spend time with their families.  If that plan does not include talking to their sponsor and other recovering folks while away, they cannot go.  If the plan does not include attending 12-step meetings, they cannot go.  If that plan does not include a willingness to go to any length to stay sober, they cannot go.  We have found the best solution to staying sober during these “firsts” is a solid plan that is laid out ahead of time mapping hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute.  It’s a solution that works for our clients and has worked for many recovering alcoholics and addicts.

Here’s hoping everyone has a sober, safe, and happy holiday!

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The residential addiction counseling and recovery program is structured as a four – six month program and consists of three primary components:

1. A safe, supportive, structured, drug and alcohol-free living environment where the client is immersed in sobriety as a way of life and surrounded by a group of his peers all with the common goal of acquiring and maintaining sobriety.
2. Group sessions led by certified addiction counselors with varied life and scholastic experiences in a non-judgmental, loving atmosphere.
3. Participation in the recovery community and attendance at 12-step meetings everyday develops a sense of ownership for one’s own recovery and often leads to opportunities to give back to the recovery community.

Included in this treatment structure are:
• Screening & Intake, Assessment & Treatment Planning

Each individual will be thoroughly interviewed for appropriateness to the program and will have an opportunity to interview staff as well. Upon admission, each client will be oriented to “the way we do things.” We will discuss with him the things that brought him here and what he hopes to accomplish while he is here. Together we will develop goals and a plan for his sober recovery.

Some of the tools used to accomplish those goals are:
• Step Work – clients will work towards completing 12-step assignments as a means of uncovering causes and conditions for their substance abuse
• Weekly Goal Setting  - setting small goals on a weekly basis enables the client to track his progress without feeling overwhelmed
• Life Skills Education – an important introduction to sober living out there in the real world – finding and keeping a job, completing or continuing his education, buying groceries, preparing his own meals and money management
• Spiritual Life Group – a group session focusing on developing a relationship with one’s higher power and one’s self
• Anger Management – learning to respond, rather than react, to life’s situations and becoming willing to explore the fear that is the fuel of our anger
• Addiction Issues – getting to the “real” reasons we use drugs and alcohol to change the way we feel and exploring a new way of thinking and living that is based on sobriety as a way of life
• Recreation Therapy – life is more fun without alcohol and drugs; we can prove it!
• Drug and Alcohol Testing – regular and random screening to ensure they remain drug and alcohol free
• Family Support Groups – healing the family unit is as important as healing the alcoholic or addict to promote healthy, happy relationships

As the client progresses in his recovery and nears the time for him to leave the residential program, together we address:

• Relapse Prevention – an integral part of the recovery process developed to give the client tools for staying sober even in the midst of depression and challenging times
• Transition Planning – an in-depth plan used in conjunction with the relapse prevention plan to address ongoing recovery needs and to foster a smooth transition to the next phase of his recovery
• Aftercare – each client who has successfully completed the residential program is encouraged to attend ongoing group therapy, outings, and events which will solidify his own sobriety and offer hope to the new clients.

There is no such thing as graduation from treatment. As part of a continuum of care, completion of the residential program leads to aftercare and ongoing self-care through involvement in the 12-step community. We encourage all of our clients to be active in our alumni program so that we can continue to support their ongoing recovery.

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As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.
—Marion Anderson

Because of our resentments we sometimes get tense. We say we aren’t going to have contact with our parents until they do something we expect of them. Or we hold out on a friend because we want an apology for an injury or injustice.

Sadly, we become more tense, more limited in our own joy, by holding someone else to our expectations. Our lives can be much richer and more fulfilled when we let go of these expectations. We can let go of manipulating or drawing forth the responses we want. Our manipulations and pouting make life too boring and limited. No one else need stand in the way of our pleasure of being adult men.

Today, I will let go of my claims on others so I can be free to soar.

From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

We have finally unveiled Purple 2.0! First let me explain what Purple 2.0 really is: it is a mulit-faceted, multi-layered conglomeration of ideas, principles, program components, and tangibles. Looking back, its difficult to say when we really began working our way towards the new version of Purple, but it seems like its been a little over a year. The staff has met weekly for the past year for the sole purpose of developing this. Along the way, we’ve redefined our mission statement, incorporated new programs like exercise and guided meditation, and made a journey back to what we feel are indispensable services to offer.

All of these changes are, of course, rewarding, but none quite as rewarding as the tangibles: new furniture (still a work in progress), the new website, business cards, brochures, and a keynote presentation that will eventually be on the website and available as a DVD. In the Fall of last year, we started working with Luckyfish Studios, a creative strategy and design company. They helped us develop a new brand, a new mission, and a new image altogether. To put the finishing touches on it all, we enlisted the help of Solar Velocity, a web development firm. It all finally came together as we presented our new image to the public at SECAD earlier this month.

In essence…”we are committed to helping addicted men and their families create new, happier lives through sobriety. Our recovery methods are based on personal, real experience, our staff members are engaging and genuine, and our success is tied directly to our clients’ success combating addiction”…THIS is Purple 2.0.

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