"Be Here Now"

For young people in recovery, music can act as a bridge to sobriety and provide an outlet for healthy recreation. Recently on a visit to Old Friends Guitar Shop in Wentzville, MO, a young man in our Troy Day Treatment Program was given the opportunity to play the guitar of his dreams. As he began to strum the perfectly tuned antique, acoustic twelve string, a familiar light of self assured contentment settled in. With teens struggling from substance abuse, one of the biggest enemies to sobriety is the foe of being discontent. But at this moment, the young man you see in the photo was anything but bored. He was in the moment entirely. Not in the past, not in the future, but fully in the present. The virtue of living in the moment was no better expressed than by Grammy award winning artist Ray LaMontagne, in his song, "Be Here Now":




"Don't let your mind get weary and confused
  
  Your will be still, don't try
  Don't let your heart get heavy child

   Inside you there's a strength that lies...."


When redirecting our minds through awareness, uncertainties become irrelevant and strength is found. Allowing the mind to rest reaffirms the sense of control, autonomy, and escape that so many teens end up struggling to achieve through high risk behaviors. Such is the plight of substance abuse in adolescence. But the great gift of music not only provides a life skill that teaches discipline and commitment. But it's also a place where the mind can be free to "Be Here Now".

Written by: Michelle Boonaerts 

The Healing Garden

Making the Community a Little Brighter  

Community Garden

Recovery is a process. Changes are being made from the inside out. There are many challenges along the way: addressing relationships, finding jobs, learning social skills, and returning to plans for education and future planning. But there are also challenges for learning how to take care of basic essential needs.
Hygiene. Healthy Eating. Exercise. Spirituality and Mental Healthcare.




This summer, clients in our adult program in Kirksville were able to learn new ways to fill these needs by having something external to care for, a community garden.

Clients were able to add a few personal touches from scrap materials

After seeking donations from several organizations in the area, we were finding quite a challenge to start a garden with such minimal resources, and no one willing to help donate to the cause! However, that did not stop us! Our ART-C coordinators and staff put our brains together to plan out a garden area that would be large enough to grow both annual and perennial plants, as well as display inspirational artwork by our clients. We sketched out, brainstormed, researched and reached out to experts who were able to help us with soil terracing and eventually our garden was built and ready to plant!

Our clients were able to learn about inexpensive plants they can cultivate to help with ailments such as sour stomachs and various aches and pains, and grew herbs to help alleviate these symptoms. They also learned how to make herb infused waters which they loved!

In the years to come, we hope to expand the garden, adding new things and hopefully more self-sustaining plants which will flower and produce year after year.

This project is a reminder that we are never done growing, and that we need to continue to nurture and care for ourselves in order to recover. 

Achieving Recovery Through Creativity

  Art is used in addiction recovery                services across the country and around the world because addiction is a global problem. Art prevails where words fail in expressing the dark world of addiction and triumphs in overcoming the stigma associated with this disease.

In a booklet published by the Innovators Program at John Hopkins University, the executive board explains that, “Where science analyzes and explains addiction with images of data displayed in pie charts and bar graphs, art reveals the gangled complexity of addiction with images of paint and other materials to enhance our understanding of this treatable, chronic illness.”

http://pinterest.com/preferredfamily/ 

Art's importance to the individual in the recovery process cannot be understated and its role in raising awareness to communities is invaluable. In fact, the Innovators Program also says that "the growing consensus among substance abuse professionals confirms that addiction art complements addiction science and is a 'remarkable contribution to the field of substance abuse prevention and treatment.'"

http://pinterest.com/preferredfamily/

The art created by the consumers of Preferred Family Healthcare in the “Achieving Recovery Through Creativity”, or ARTC, provides a creative opportunity to engage the community in the mission to assist others in achieving their potential. Through anecdotal observation and testimonial based evidence we can see that the ARTC program is making a profound impact.

$20 will fund supplies for a person working on recovery through the ARTC program for an entire month. Your gift will help change lives. To see more art and what $20 can create, visit our Facebook or Pinterest page. Click here to donate today. 

Don't miss our ARTC exhibit presented at the Fraser Leonard Gallery!

Click here for more information.

                                                                                                                                                                           

ARTC Outcomes Surveys July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012
1657 surveys completed over past two years	67% youth (18 and under) 33% adult (19 and over)
Introduced me to new activities that I enjoy.	90%
Helped me to express my thoughts and feelings.	91%
Gave me an opportunity to learn activities I can do instead of using drugs and or drinking.	93%
Gave me a sense of accomplishment.	92%
Helped me improve my ability to work with others.	87%
Helped me discover new skills I can use in the future at school or work.	87%
Helped me feel better about myself.	89%$20 will fund supplies for a person working on recovery to be involved in the ARTC program for one month. Your gift will help change lives, to learn more watch, Face of Recovery.

Works Cited

Santora, Patricia B., Dr, Margaret R. Dowell, Dr, and Jack E. Henningway, Dr. "Guidelines for Organizing Art Exhibitions on Addiction and Recovery." Policyarchive.com. The John Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2008. Web. 3 July 2013. <http://www.policyarchive.org/handle/10207/bitstreams/21307.pdf>.

"Addiction Science: From Molecules to Managed Care." Drug Abuse Is a Global Problem.National Institute on Drug Abuse, July 2008. Web. 03 July 2013. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/addiction-science/international-program-conclusion/drug-abuse-global-problem>.