May 2014 - RI International · My recovery experience has been a long tedious one. I have...

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5 HOPE - CHOICE - EMPOWERMENT - RECOVERY CULTURE - SPIRITUALITY MAY 2014

May 2014

Recovery Innovations extends heartfelt THANKS and APPRECIATION to the

organizations that provide class locations, presentations, services and referrals.

Our connections with others, provide opportunities and environments that empower people to recover, to succeed in accomplishing their goals, and to

reconnect with themselves, others and meaning and purpose in life.

Community Connections

May Is National Mental

Health Month! May is recognized all across the country as

National Mental Health Month. The

observation is led by the National Mental

Health Association and many affiliates. This

will be the 65th year that National Mental

Health Month was recognized and this year,

the theme is “Mind Your Health”.

The goals of the events held throughout the

month are ”to build public recognition about the

importance of mental health to overall health and

wellness; inform people of the ways that the mind

and body interact with each other; and provide

tips and tools for taking positive actions to protect

mental health and promote whole health.”

( www.mentalhealthamerica.net/may)

In order to build public recognition of the

importance of mental health, the key is

essentially spreading the word about what

mental health is and how important it is to all

aspects of your health. Knowledge is power!

Share your story! Let the world know how

mental health affects not just your mental

health but your body and spirit as well!

I, myself, am guilty of ignoring my mental

health needs for the majority of my life and

instead focusing on just my physical health and

my work health. I just recently realized how

they are connected. Now, though I can look

back and think about how many physical

ailments I had that were caused by stress,

depression and anxiousness. I can look back

and think about how frazzled I felt during work

which made my work stressful and left me

unable to do the best job I could do. I can

look back and think how when I was

depressed it was so hard to connect to my

own spirit. It seemed like my spirit was locked

up in a tight box and all I could do was exist.

There can be so much more to life than that.

When you start delving into your own mental

health—while it was by no means an easy

process—you can visibly see the effects in

your life. It can affect knowing when its time

to use your wellness tools when you feel sad

or depressed instead of the things you use to

do like overeating, sleeping the day away and

isolating yourself from everyone who knows

and cares about you.

I encourage you—just as I myself am doing—

to continue to explore your mental health.

There are many ways to do so. You can talk

to your friends and family. You can explore

online what mental health is and what it

means. You can attend a Mental Health Expo.

You can attend a Wellness Class at one of the

many locations that offers a class by Recovery

Innovations. No matter how little or much

you’ve struggled with mental health continue

to explore all that it is and that it can mean to

you and those that you care about.

For more information, contact your local Recovery

Innovations program or call Recovery Innovations at 1-866-

481-5361.

Quotes for Our Mental Health

“It’s up to you today to start making

healthy choices. Not just choices that are

healthy for your body, but healthy for

your mind.” ~Steve Maraboli

“When are we going to stop being afraid

to push for change and begin putting into

action the things we have discussed for

centuries? Mental health cannot wait any

longer. Let’s get to work!” ~Tamara Hill

“A desire to be in charge of our own

lives, a need for control, is born in each of

us. It is essential to our mental health,

and our success, that we take control.”

~Robert Foster

“Self-esteem is as important to our well-

being as legs are to a table. It is essential

for physical and mental health and for

happiness.” ~Louise Hart

“Cheerfulness is the best promoter of

health and is as friendly to the mind as to

the body.” ~Joseph Addison

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Wellness City VoiceWellness City VoiceWellness City Voice

MAY 2014

HOPE Station Wellness City

My Recovery Experience

My recovery experience has been a long tedious one. I have personally overcome a tremendous

amount of mental strain and stress. I have relied primarily on my personnel faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

to get me through my dark days and nights. To be honest with you, when you decide to work on your

inner self, it becomes a lonely day. People will not always understand you. My family has been supportive

as well. It took me having to do a lot of digging way deep. Once you begin dealing with yourself alone you

tend to see the desirable and the undesirable around you. Then you can begin the ground work of self

discovery and recovery.

You learn to like yourself and people a whole lot better. When you are in tuned into your true self,

recovery is possible. There are no shortcuts to personal recovery. You have to be a committed; whole

hearted person. It starts with a decision and it is important to stick with it. Following the crowd can be a

major distraction when it comes to dealing with your personal wellness. To do anything of significance,

you may have to repute yourself from your peers to get a better grip on yourself.

In my personal recovery, I did not achieve personal success on my own but with a little bit of medicine,

therapy and behavioral supports combining to help. I worked extensively with a plethora of psychiatrists,

therapist, etc. to get the job done. I give credit to my past mental health provider for getting me back on

my feet from the group home and assisted living facility. I am now successfully living on my own and have

lived on my own for a few years. As of recently HOPE Station Wellness City has been a great tool in

learning from my peers through shared experiences. It makes me very strong mentally and emotionally.

By Reginald Eley HOPE Station Wellness City Citizen

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Wellness City VoiceWellness City VoiceWellness City Voice MAY 2014

Community Building Team: You Get Out of Life What You Put Into It Wayne and I pulled out of the parking lot at the last AA Meeting and as we rode off he turned to me and said, “Bryan, I liked a lot of what they

had to say. I especially agree with that old guy who said ‘You only get out of life what you put into it.’”

Wayne’s recovery story from Pinewood Adult Care Home to living independently in the community has been just that— a process of putting

more and more of himself into his recovery.

My fabulous team member, Jennifer Marshall, had begun to work with Wayne when he first lived at Pinewood Manor and she was a part of that

process when Wayne was first starting to dream of what life could be for him…beyond the adult care home, beyond his addiction and beyond

his past struggles. When I met Wayne, Jennifer had already facilitated WRAP with him and had his WRAP covering one side of his wall that

Jennifer had facilitated for him. Wayne refers to his wellness tools, triggers and early warning signs often to help him identify when his daily

struggles with substance use begin. His struggles still continue but so do his efforts to overcome his challenges.

Wayne’s path to recovery is unique to him. He has an electric wheelchair which allows him greater access to the community. It also gives him

opportunities to avoid being isolated and to connect with friends he knows in downtown Ahoskie. His wellness plan also includes his therapy

appointments with PORT and he will tell you that having his own apartment may be one of the greatest wellness tools he has.

He has told me on several occasions that he reflects on the wonderful work that Tammy Askew, Transition Coordinator, Ann Holland, Clinical

Coordinator and The Transition to Community Living Team from ECBH and RI has done to support him. When he does so, He states often, “I

am the happiest I have ever been in my life. Living in this safe and secure place. I can say this has been one of the best things that have

ever happened to me.”

Wayne has taken some big steps towards his recovery. Recently, Wayne bravely stepped out to attend his first AA Meeting. He sat in the back

of the meeting and didn’t say much. During the first meeting, when it was time to pass out the sobriety colored chips for being sober a day,

month etc… He stood up and spoke up loudly. “What is the white chip for?” He asked. The facilitator responded, "That is for saying you have

been sober a day.” Wayne reached out to him and said, “I’ll take that.”

We rode out of that parking lot and he turned to me and said, “So much of my life others have tried to make me change. But now…I have

reached the place I think I want to change. I guess it comes down to what that old guy said…”You get out of life what you put into it.” I

said, “Wayne...I agree and I am proud of you.”

By: Bryan Creech, Peer Recovery Coach & Wayne Leggett, Participant

Community Building

Bryan Creech, PRC

Bryan Creech, PRC with

Wayne Leggett, Community Building Participant Wayne Leggett, Community Building Participant

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Wellness City of New BernWellness City of New Bern

MAY2014

QUOTE OF THE MONTH: My mother is my root, my foundation. She

planted the seed that I base my life on, and that is the belief that the ability to

achieve starts in your mind.-- Michael Jordan

STAFF VOICE by Anne Ocorr

Certified Peer Support Specialist WCNB

“When you reach for the stars, you are

reaching for the farthest thing out there. When

you reach deep into yourself, it is the same thing,

but in the opposite direction. If you reach in both

directions, you will have spanned the universe.”

Vera Nazarian

Both kinds of reaching take courage; the

courage to heal our inner hurts; the courage of

reaching over our past wounding to reach out,

trust and love others; the courage to work for

our own needs, as well as the needs of others;

and the courage to build up our communities.

My wellness is tied to the wellness of all

others. It comes from accepting responsibility

for my own journey and following it. In the

words of Vera Nazarian, “Sometimes, reaching

out and taking someone’s hand is the beginning of

a journey. At other times, it is allowing another to

take yours.” But both involve reaching, which

only we can do.

Learning to manage my own depression and

walk with others as they find their own way

has encouraged me on my own

journey, and I hope that I have

done the same for them as well.

CITIZEN SPOTLIGHT

Dorothy Lynn Griffin

I began attending Wellness

City in June 2012. I attended

many classes and in early

2013, I attended Peer Employment Training with

Recovery Innovations and earned my North

Carolina Certified Peer Support Specialist

certification. Shortly after that, I was asked to

move out of the house I had been living in for

several years. My housemate and friend, our

property owner (her sister) and I have known each

other for over 55 years. Some things you just don’t

question. I moved out, although we remain friends.

These past months are the only time I have ever

lived alone! Always before, I at least had cats. It is

not at all surprising I’ve been on an unending

emotional roller-coaster ride for the last year. New

Beginnings in New Bern—that is now the theme

of my life….I finally know that I can be happy and

content. I am actually looking forward to future

possibilities. I now believe more good times are in

store and they will be more frequent and longer

duration! YES! I believe in recovery. Recovery

Innovations and ECBH are living proof that

recovery IS possible!

WELL-WORTHY HAPPENINGS AT WELLNESS CITY OF NEW BERN IN MAY!

Opening of Wellness City Tranquility Garden this spring —Date TBD in May

ECBH Specialty Team presentation —Weds. May 7th from 11am -12pm

ECBH Supportive Employment presentation May 12 @ 1pm

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Where in the World is Recovery Joe?

“Recovery Joe” joined the East Carolina Outreach Team in September of 2013. He was brought on board to travel with the Outreach Team Members throughout our

19-County Catchment area, and then tell about his experiences in his monthly column in the Wellness City Voice newsletter.

Happy Spring to all of you Eastern North Carolinians!

This month I traveled with Ann Emmerich, Outreach Coordinator as she researched Craven County to find the most

centrally located spot to offer a Recovery Education class.

After meeting with several potential Community Partners, it was decided that RCS (Religious Community Services) located

on George St. would be an excellent venue!

What an amazing Outreach Ministries the RCS is! They were founded in 1982 to provide

immediate and dignified relief to those in need. I did a little research on the internet and

found out that, “RCS seeks to generate awareness and establish commitment from the

Community by offering a variety of Quality Programs and services to promote self-

sufficiency.” That goes right along with the Recovery Innovations Mission Statement!

Last year the soup kitchen served an amazing 65,567 meals and the food pantry gave out

329,581 pounds of food! Wow! Other programs they offer to help nourish the whole

person: Body, Mind and Spirit are:

Homeless Shelter

Clothing Closet

Transportation Assistance

Rent and Utility Assistance Disaster Relief and Recovery

Enrichment and Education

It is the last bullet point where we fit in: Enrichment and Education. On Monday,

April 14, 2014, Recovery Innovations began a WELL (Wellness and Empowerment in Life and Living) class there from 4:00

PM – 6:00 PM which is open to the public. Some of the WELL class topics are: Self-Esteem, Developing Meaningful

Relationships, Conflict Resolution, Healing from Trauma and Spirituality/Meaning and purpose.

Ann Emmerich will continue to facilitate this class for another 15 weeks, every Monday at that time. The 16 session WELL

class is made up of 16 separate topics, so even if you miss a class or two, you are more than welcome to come join at any

time! There were 11 people there the first night and I say, the more the merrier! Hope to see you there!

Kindest Regards,

Recovery Joe

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Durham Wellness City: Beyond the Border

Article by Allison Stutts*, NC Certified Peer Support Specialist, class facilitator Congratulations graduates! Durham Wellness City’s Beyond the Border class participants, Ronda Johnson, Sarah Kurth, Shaquana Greene, Stephen Taylor, Tiffany Brunette, Lorraine Williams, Omega Edmundson, and Leon Council celebrated their achievement on Thursday, March 11, 2014. This eight week class learned about personality challenges and ways to face them while embracing the belief that “recovery is real”. We explored the diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, the history of it and the many skills available to overcome the challenges of it. We discussed myths and stigma while embracing each of our strengths for dispelling them. Each of us shared our own experiences with emotional regulation and personality challenges while supporting each of our individual recovery journeys. Together we are moving beyond the border!

Following are comments shared by the participants during the graduation ceremony: Lorraine: “I learned about myself, learned about triggers, learned about anxiety, and using maintenance tools.” Omega: “Family and listen, help the class out.” Henrietta: “I learned to have hope. I now look forward to completing goals.”

Stephen: “I am being supported by people here. Thank you.”

Ronda: “It’s a pleasure to attend [Wellness] City. I love everyone.” Shaquana: “I was very comfortable in class. Thank you. Great class.” Tiffany: “Thank you for all the support from Wellness City. Thank you to my group home owner [who is present at this graduation] for her support.” For more information about the Beyond the Border class, see the March 2014 Voice article, available at: http://www.recoveryinnovations.org/rinc/RINCNewsletters.html *Interested in reading Allison’s recovery story? Check out the May 2013 issue of the Voice newsletter available at: http://www.recoveryinnovations.org/rinc/RINCNewsletters.html

Left to Right: Ronda, Omega, Leon, Tiffany, Shaquana, Allison (facilitator), Lorraine, Sarah, Stephen, and Henrietta

http://www.recoveryinnovations.org/rinc/RINCNewsletters.html

http://www.recoveryinnovations.org/rinc/RINCNewsletters.html

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Durham Wellness City: Physical Wellness Research has shown that physical wellness is an important part of recovery. At Durham Wellness

City, we offer a number of classes to support the physical health dimension of recovery. These

classes cover everything from nutrition, to illness awareness and prevention, to exercise. In April,

Durham Wellness City offered a Well Fitness class and a Walking for Wellness class.

In Well Fitness, participants begin with stretching

and toning exercises that can be done in a chair, and

then incorporate dancing, and stretch bands. Don

Jeffers remarked, “Dancing exercise is a great

workout and it is fun”. Pamela Duncan stated,

“WOW, it’s so much energy!” With the recent

warm weather, they have also added a brief morning

walk in the sunshine that everyone enjoys.

In Walking for Wellness, participants spend

the first 30 minutes discussing the importance

and benefits of exercise and healthy lifestyle

choices and the last 30 minutes exercising. This

class utilizes a variety of power walking videos

and exercise bands to build endurance, muscle

strength, and increase flexibility. Henrietta

commented: “Walking helps lose pounds, good

for your life.” Participants are charting how many miles they walk and are excited to see their

progress. Angie Foster said: [It helped me] worked on physical therapy for my knees, [I enjoyed]

introducing a new exercise to the class and it made me smile.” Following completion of the

power walk, participants celebrate their achievement with healthy snack. Sarah Busy writes:

“Walking is good for your life.”

by Henrietta McNeill and Sheila Perry

Durham Peer Support Specialists

Our Mission

To create opportunities and environments that empower people to recover, to succeed in accomplishing their goals,

and to reconnect with themselves, others and meaning

and purpose in life.

Recovery Innovations

Is a nonprofit organization offering recovery-based services in Arizona, California, Delaware, North Carolina, Washington and

New Zealand.

www.RecoveryInnovations.org

Durham Wellness City

401 E. Lakewood Avenue, Suite E1-A

Durham, NC 27707

Phone: 919-687-4041

Kim Chansen, RSA: 919-702-3314

HOPE Station Wellness City

2407 S. Memorial Drive

Greenville, NC 27834

Phone: 252-321-0179

Sonia Tucker, RSA: 252-558-8034

Wellness City of New Bern

1311 Health Drive

New Bern, NC 28560

Phone: 252-672-8781

Bill Barrow, RSA: 252-422-4339

Community Building Team

Bill Barrow, RSA: 252-422-4339

Jim Harrison, Team Lead: 252-702-2804

Outreach Wellness City

Sonia Tucker, RSA: 252.558-8034

Susan Hall, Team Lead: 252-876-3645

Ann Emmerich, Outreach Coordinator: 252-886-1104

Beaufort, Bertie, Craven, Hyde, Jones, Martin, Pamlico, Pitt, & Washington Counties

Ron Lowe, Outreach Coordinator: 252-702-6515

Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans & Tyrrell Counties

Recovery Innovations has earned the

Joint Commission’s

Gold Seal of Approval™

AND

Find our Wellness City Voice Newsletters, as well as our monthly class Calendars online at

www.RecoveryInnovations.org/rinc

MAY 2014


May 2014 - RI International · My recovery experience has been a long tedious one. I have...

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