Rhonda

It was really nice catching up with you this last weekend on the phone.  As I told you, it is almost three years since my intervention, and I am still sober!  Woohoo!  My whole recovery was by my Higher Power’s design (whom I choose to call God).  Like I said when I took the bottle of Lexipro (anti-depressants) I “forgot” there were 2 more bottles in the linen closet.  If I had “remembered,” I would have taken all three bottles.  I was convinced that I wasn’t going to treatment, and I had burned my bridges with my family, and the only escape was death.  Because of the person that you (John) are, I felt comfortable enough to reach out to you after I took the pills and didn’t die to get the help I needed (a trip to the hospital and an agreement to go to treatment).  You accompanied me all the way to Houston and saw me to the hands of the treatment center.  If you had conducted the intervention as a “hard ass” I would have thrown you out of my house.  But you seemed to know intuitively how to handle me and my addiction.

By the time I got to treatment, I had surrendered and was willing to do “whatever it takes”.  I stayed in treatment for 2.5 months.  I transferred myself out of Into Action (prison treatment center in Houston, TX) and into The Parc (Memorial Herman Hospital).  While I believe both facilities were integral in my recovery, they had entirely different approaches to sobriety and treatment.  Into Action was AA-based and centered, while the Parc was individual-based and took a holistic approach.  By the time I transferred to The Parc, I had 90 meetings under my belt and had read the big book 3 times.  I had completed all the material provided by Into Action long before it was required to be completed and requested more information.  I attribute my success in recovery to the wonderful counseling I received both one-on-one and in group at The Parc and the recovery plan my counselor put in place before I returned home.  I followed my treatment plan to the letter without complaint.  I was supposed to redecorate my home (get rid of all the “wine” decorations), and I did.  But then, I decided to go one step further and do a complete remodel of the main floor (not that I am an overachiever or anything).  I gutted the bathroom and put new counters and floors and a sink in the kitchen.  I believe from beginning to end (from John to the Parc) I was led down the right path for my recovery journey to begin.

Thanks again!