In this episode we’ll review some of our most useful tools to quickly and effectively overcome some of the typical challenges the holidays may throw at you, avoid or confront resulting urges, and keep your recovery on track.
Unconditional Other Acceptance Video
Vital Absorbing Creative Interest (VACI) Tool
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) Tool
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Video storytelling is a powerful tool in recovery, and we are proud to share our SMART Recovery content free-of-charge, available anywhere, on any device. Our videos hope to inform, entertain, and inspire anyone in the recovery community.
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PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.
- Be kind in tone and intent.
- Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
- Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
- Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
- Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
- Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.
If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
We look forward to you joining the conversation!
*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*
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Supporting a family member with an addiction can be challenging. Sandy Dickson knows these struggles all too well. Sandy found the SMART Family & Friends program comforting and resourceful in helping her cope with her family’s addiction. She became a facilitator several years ago and now has a group of long-time participants that share their experiences and help one another. This is something that Sandy values very much.
Learn more about SMART Family & Friends
Learn more about becoming a SMART volunteer
Find Sandy’s SMART Recovery Online (SROL) meeting
Subscribe to the SMART Recovery YouTube Channel
Video storytelling is a powerful tool in recovery, and we are proud to share our SMART Recovery content free-of-charge, available anywhere, on any device. Our videos hope to inform, entertain, and inspire anyone in the recovery community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and be notified every time we release a new video.
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.
- Be kind in tone and intent.
- Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
- Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
- Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
- Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
- Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.
If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
We look forward to you joining the conversation!
*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*
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Forward: As I was doing interviews for this series, a number of people I spoke with referenced how integral Cathy Nugent was to the process. Not only for her being involved in the historic summit, but also for her role as the first grant officer for the Recovery Community Service Program (RCSP), funded through SAMHSA. It was very clear that she played an instrumental role in supporting what was occurring. She oversaw the initial RCSP grantees and made sure that the investments through these federal grants were not only being utilized most effectively, but in ways that also helped these organizations support each other. The byproduct of the connections between these early leaders most likely contributed significantly to the efforts to create a national recovery community organization.
The Recovery Community Support Program as it was first known brought together a group of people who emerged as leaders in what we now know was the New Recovery Advocacy Movement (NRAM). These advocates worked very hard to build the capacity of the recovery community and strengthen recovery advocacy efforts across the nation. People like Tom Hill, Phil Valentine, Dona Dmitrovic, Ben Bass, Joe Powell, Don Coyhis, Andre Johnson and many others began to gather and connect with each other. The fabric created though these modest federal grants in tandem with the summit provided much needed nutrients to grow the early recovery movement across the nation. To complete the analogy, Cathy Nugent was one of our early gardeners, helping ensure that those tiny sprouts were able to take root in the soil and grow into sturdy plants that would bear fruit for the next generation. We can see the results of their efforts all around us.
I played phone tag with her for about a week or so before we managed to do the interview. Her genuine nature came through the phone clear as a bell. She is a recovery ally in ways we do not run across often enough. Wise enough to listen and offer constructive guidance at the appropriate times. It is pretty clear that she is a person who values lived experience and recognizes that people in recovery are the experts on recovery. Her background and ways of conducting herself in her role as grant officer at SAMHSA was exactly what was needed to nurture these early leaders, and to support their work across the country. She came to the project equipped with the tools needed for the job at hand. Cathy spoke to me about her love of group facilitation and that group process is about supporting the energy of the group and helping its collective members to help each other. This is what Cathy Nugent accomplished by overseeing and supporting these leaders and these fledgling recovery community organizations at that moment in history.
- Who are you and what t role did you play in supporting the Saint Paul Summit?
My name is Cathy Nugent, and I served as the first grant officer for the RCSP grants awarded through SAMHSA/CSAT in the late 90s. Earlier in my career, I had worked at SAMHSAs Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Through my work in prevention, I learned about the importance of community organizing and mobilization. Later in my 20-year tenure at SAMHSA, I took a position in the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), where I was fortunate to become involved in conceptualizing and implementing a new initiative focused on recovery, the RCSP. Creating this program was forward-thinking on the part of CSAT and SAMHSA’s leadership. They realized the importance of enabling people in recovery to speak for themselves, rather than be spoken for or about. The RCSP project enjoyed tremendous support and enthusiasm within SAMHSA, especially by -CSAT Director, Dr H. Westley Clark. Dr. Clark was onboard for the program from day one.
I approached the work with a deep sense of humility. I knew I was not an expert in recovery or the recovery community, although I had lived experience as a family member of more than one person in recovery. I am a licensed clinical professional counselor and Board-certified psychodramatist. Before coming to SAMHSA, I had been involved in State-wide efforts to bring together survivor communities around the issue of sexual exploitation by psychotherapists and clergy. It was through this effort that I first met Bill White, who later become a significant thought leader and supporter of RSCP.
At CSAP, I had helped train and organize community leaders in the world of prevention. I was also a Project Officer with the CSAP/CSAT National Women’s Resource Center, where we successfully organized and trained community leaders to address the intersection of substance abuse, domestic violence and mental health issues. Now it was time to apply my knowledge and skills as a facilitator, community organizer and change agent in the new setting of recovery support and recovery services. I applied my skills to help the early RCSP grantees identify and nurture their individual and collective strengths and resources, to build connections and community—within their individual grant projects and across projects. Group work has always been my passion, having trained in sociometry and group psychotherapy. I believe as major contribution I made to the evolving RSCP was to create and hold a space for recovery community members to emerge as the experts and leaders in this new enterprise. Those early days were especially exciting and rewarding. I feel grateful for the opportunity to be a part of so significant a movement.
The RCSP was pivotal in promoting a paradigm shift—away from a deficit-focused approach to addictive disorders toward a strength-based, recovery-oriented approach. Through the wisdom of the RCSP grantees, we began to realize we could accomplish a whole lot more by focusing on the healing energy of recovery instead of the destructive facets of addiction. This way of thinking led to an emphasis on a recovery-oriented system of care and recovery management orientation.
Cultural diversity and geographic diversity were also important themes as we prepared for the 2001 St. Paul Summit. We paid close attention to ensuring as many voices as possible would be heard. Representatives from different routes to recovery, including medication-assisted recovery, were supported to attend. CSAT’s aim was to ensure diversity, while, at the same time, working to develop common ground. Summit sessions facilitated the process of working through perceived differences to highlight that shared vision and common interests were the ground on which to build a larger sense of community. I think the results of these early efforts are clearly evident. Twenty years later, these investments in the recovery community are bearing fruit beyond what we dared to even imagine back then.
- Is there a particular moment or memory that stands out about that time?
I was excited to be at what I perceived even then as an historic moment. I remember one powerful leader who gave an electrifying speech. His name was Reverend Kenneth Robinson, MD, a minister and also a Board- certified addiction medicine physician. Reverend Dr. Robinson spoke passionately about the need to heal communities and spread recovery across America. I also remember Bill White’s speech. As always, Bill spoke eloquently. He had recently published Slaying the Dragon, his comprehensive history of addiction and recovery movements in the United States. He called for a recovery movement to rise up in America as a phoenix rises from its ashes. Like recovery itself, an amazing transformation of pain and anguish to altruism and collective care.
I also distinctly recall the ending of dramatic closing of the Summit. Participants were given lighted spinners that threw sparkles of color around the room. We gathered together in a circle, enacting the metaphor of each person shining their own light, and all being part of a larger constellation of light that illuminated the space. Our lights became a beautiful constellation of healing energy that travelled around the circle. It was a powerful and beautiful moment.
- How did the Summit Influence the RCSP grant project?
There was a palpable level of excitement as the RCSP grantees left the Summit. Returning to their states and communities, they experienced renewed energy to strengthen recovery efforts. As part of the grant program, grantees came together often, meeting regularly on phone calls and through face-to-face meetings supported by CSAT. They started to build out peer recovery services, which we see now all across America. The RCSP grantees accomplished that: Extending the continuum of services to include peer-to-peer recovery supports. Grantees established peer training and credentialing, now standards in many States and communities. They built a national recovery community organization that served as a platform to meet the needs of people in recovery on their own terms.
- From your perspective, what did the 2001 Recovery Summit Accomplish?
It is important to remember that in 2001 acknowledging one’s recovery openly was risky. Notions of moral failure and the stigma and shame associated with substance use disorders were commonplace. Speaking openly was revolutionary—and courageous. Breaking the silence and proclaiming the gifts of recovery was at first highly controversial. The influence of the Summit and the recovery movement continues to be felt today. Recovery narratives have largely replaced addiction horror stories. Or, at least, stories of recovery are heard widely. The Summit certainly influenced SAMHSA for years after. In CSAT, I eventually worked with others to incorporate the recovery orientation in other influential grant programs. For example, as Project Officer with the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers, I supported the ATTCs in training addiction professionals in the recovery paradigm. The ATTCs were highly influential in promoting the concept of a recovery-oriented system of care across the country. Later, while still in CSAT, I saw the proliferation of other recovery-focused grants, such as the Access to Recovery Program. During my tenure with the Center for Mental Health Services, beginning in 2011, I played a pivotal role in the SAMHSA-wide Recovery Support Strategic Initiative. I would say the Recovery Summit began a process that helped flip that deficit focus on its head, as the strength-based orientation of recovery began to influence all of SAMHSA’s program. We all spoke of and believed in the power of hope.
The amount of money invested in these grants was quite modest, making the grantees accomplishments even more successful—because the projects were cost effective. These recovery organizations were providing much needed peer recovery support services by harnessing the power of recovering people to bring healing to their own communities. We can look out on the landscape today and see the evidence of how beneficial these investments in the recovery community were and continue to be. The effort paid dividends. Recovering people no longer had to hide in shame. I imagine thousands of people’s lives were changed for the better because they had greater access to help and were more willing to seek it out. Being involved in this process remains one of the treasured highlights of my career as a public servant.
- Have you followed what happened to the grantees / do you have a sense of what kind of return on investment in respect to recovery capitol that the grants yielded?
The RCSP and the Saint Paul Recovery Summit provided the momentum for people in recovery to move out of the darkness and shame that characterized the prevailing addiction narrative. Their efforts supported the true vision of addictive disorders as a public health problem, a disease, not a moral failing. The movement has lifted up and shone a clear light on the dignity and worth of people in recovery. The valiant and dedicated pioneers of the recovery movement showed that people can and do recover. I can’t help but believe this has helped many individuals, families and communities find their own recovery. By emphasizing the many pathways to recovery, Summit participants also exposed people to the promise of medication-assisted pathways of recovery. This helped change minds and hearts, legitimizing these pathways for the first time.
As one of many examples I could cite, I think about Don Coyhis with the White Bison Project. Don brought recovery to Native American communities in a culturally appropriate way. CSAT funded his early work integrating the wisdom of the medicine wheel with the 12-steps. Building on the base of his RCSP grant, Don subsequently created the Wellbriety Movement. I am still in awe of the Forgiveness Journey, where people walked across America, bringing a message of hope and healing to Native American and other communities across our country.
I don’t think it is hyperbolic to say these efforts have helped transform the behavioral health delivery system in America. Much remains to be done; however, there are important lessons about what is accomplished when shame is transformed to hope, deficit to strength, when traditionally marginalized people are supported in having their voices heard and heeded. Honoring the experiential expertise of people in recovery from addiction has leveraged a massive amount of positive change, and it is still going strong. The lessons learned from organizing such a diverse community could potentially be applied to today’s problems of extreme polarization in our current social and political systems.
Yet for all that has been accomplished, much more work needs to be done. We need to continue funding and refining recovery-oriented systems of care. We need to move our systems orientation into a long-term recovery framework. That focus – on long-term recovery and on supporting the resources people and communities can leverage to support recovery—has still not been embraced as fully as it could be. It is also essential to focus financial resources to ensure those long-term frameworks are created–not only for the addiction recovery community, but also the mental health recovery community. This is an area of focus that could yield huge dividends for our whole society. The time to focus on this is right now, especially considering the global Covid pandemic and the associated behavioral health challenges and the burdens on systems of care.
- What would you say to future generations of recovery advocates about what we did and what to be cautious of / your wishes for them moving forward?
I would encourage future leaders to focus on building long-term recovery frameworks in our public and privately funded systems of care across America. At the same time, peer recovery services and recovery-oriented systems of care must stay true to the values espoused early on by the RCSP grantees. Two of these remain as important today as they did in 1998: authenticity of voice, by which we mean the recovery community speaks for itself; and diversity and inclusion, meaning the recovery community is a big tent where all are welcome. It is also important to avoid “professionalization” or being co-opted by professional service providers or systems. Advocating for funding will remain essential. The early leaders in the recovery movement planted the seeds that future generations need to cultivate and nurture. Emerging leaders can learn from this rich history and take recovery to the next level. This is the legacy I hope young leaders will draw on and carry into the future. I wish them great success.
Markita Renee had a drug addiction, battled homelessness, and legal problems, but triumphed over all thanks to perseverance and a commitment to her recovery. She made SMART part of that successful commitment. She took the facilitator training and now runs her own meetings.
Find Markita’s meeting information.
Subscribe to the SMART Recovery YouTube Channel
Video storytelling is a powerful tool in recovery, and we are proud to share our SMART Recovery content free-of-charge, available anywhere, on any device. Our videos hope to inform, entertain, and inspire anyone in the recovery community.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and be notified every time we release a new video.
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.
- Be kind in tone and intent.
- Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
- Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
- Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
- Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
- Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.
If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
We look forward to you joining the conversation!
*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*
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Looking for something fun to do on New Year’s Eve? Then join the SMART Recovery Online community for the virtual, annual New Year’s Eve Around the World! This 24-hour long event rings in 2022 in every time zone.
This nonstop meeting with hourly start times begins at 5:30 a.m. ET on December 31, 2021, and ends at 3:30 a.m. ET on January 1, 2022. Online meetings are laid back and fun with themes selected by that meeting’s host.
What People are Saying
“It is a great resource and support for our participants on an especially vulnerable holiday.”
“Having a place to go at any moment of the day is awesome.”
“You can enjoy SMART meetings and benefit from positive, growth oriented conversation with peers vs other toxic alternatives”
Special Guest Hosts
- Dr. Joe Gerstein – Motivation, Motivation, Motivation!
- Dr. Tom Horvath – Most Helpful Ideas We Have Learned From Our Connection With SMART
- Mike Hooper – What Does Lifestyle Balance Look Like to You?
- Ted Perkins – SMART en Español
How to Participate
This event is free-of-charge. To participate, use your SMART Recovery Online (SROL) login credentials. You can create SROL credentials for free at www.smartrecovery.org/community/join.php, and get access to the event schedule and meeting link(s). *Verifications will NOT be provided*
RSVP on Facebook
Help us spread the news of our free, virtual event with your connections. RSVP to this event on Facebook and share it with friends and family.
You don’t want to miss out on this fun day of community, celebration, and cheer. We look forward to seeing you and ringing in the new year together!
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.
- Be kind in tone and intent.
- Be respectful in how you respond to opinions that are different than your own.
- Be brief and limit your comment to a maximum of 500 words.
- Be careful not to mention specific drug names.
- Be succinct in your descriptions, graphic details are not necessary.
- Be focused on the content of the blog post itself.
If you are interested in addiction recovery support, we encourage you to visit the SMART Recovery website.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you or someone you love is in great distress and considering self-harm, please call 911 for immediate help, or reach out to The National Suicide Prevention Hotline @ 800-273-8255, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
We look forward to you joining the conversation!
*SMART Recovery reserves the right to not publish comments we consider outside our guidelines.*
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Forward – The first time I had heard about Mark Sanders was when I was preparing for Black History month in early 2013. I wanted to highlight the history of recovery within African American communities in our quarterly recovery newsletter. After initiating an internet search, I quickly found the Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery which is curated by Mark Sanders. It is a fascinating site with what is easily the most comprehensive history of African American recovery and the contributions of African Americans to recovery efforts ever put together. A resource for historians interested in these topics. What I soon realized is that he was the only person to have compiled and preserve this history to this extent.
I have often written in recent years about the importance of preserving our history and likened efforts to record and preserve our history to a seed bank. A place we store vital seeds to nurture future generations in case something happens to our current harvest. Mark Sanders has created this vault. The entire and most complete record of African American recovery history is in one place and available to the public. What he has done is remarkable and worthy of high praise. We have far too few historians who have undertaken this vital work to preserve, protect and use such information to inform more effective strategies into the future. A whole lot of history is getting lost forever with each passing year.
I have referred to Mark’s online museum over the years to learn about the rich history of recovery in African American communities. I also wonder what would happen if the lights went out in his online museum. What would happen to his life’s work? Would we lose this history? We should heed the adage that one should never put all of one’s eggs in a single basket. I have asked myself similar questions about the life work of Bill White. We need more such historians establishing additional repositories for our recovery history, in all its rich diversity.
On a personal note, every interaction I have had with Mark has underscored a common bond we have in respect to how important our history is and understanding it as invaluable for our efforts moving forward. I am honored that he took the time out of his clearly very busy schedule to talk with me and to participate in this project.
Returning to the seed bank analogy. Seed banks are most effective when there are many of them. If you are reading this and feel inspired, take action. If you see recovery history worth recording and nobody is, it just may be something you are called to do. Learn about and record your own community recovery history and seek ways to preserve that information for the future. I hope you read this interview and check out Mark’s Museum and his written works. Take up the challenge, learn your own community history and use it to inform what you do, how you do it and help mentor the next generation!
- Who are you?
My name is Mark Sanders. I am a licensed clinical social worker and a person in long term recovery for the last 40 years. Recovery is my life work. I have focused on developing policies and process to help people like me get into and to sustain long term recovery in many different roles. I have had a particular focus on recovery efforts within African American communities. I serve on the Great Lakes (region 5) Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network and on the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center (Great Lakes ATTC) which is located within the University of Wisconsin. I live in Chicago. I am an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field and have been honored to have my efforts reach thousands of people across the United States, Europe, Canada, Caribbean, and British Islands.
As a writer, I have authored a number of books, which focus on behavioral health. These include Slipping through the Cracks: Intervention Strategies for Clients Multiple Addictions and Disorders (2011) and Substance Use Disorders in African American Communities: Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery (2013). I have also had two of my stories published in the New York Times bestselling book series Chicken Soup for the Soul. Readers interested in my writings can find a list of all of my publications here.
Among other awards, I have received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Addiction Counselor Certification Board and the Barbara Bacon Award for outstanding contributions to the Social Work profession as a Loyola University of Chicago Alumni. Recently I was the 2021 recipient of The Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, Frank Anselmo Lifetime Achievement Award.
I co-founder of Serenity Academy of Chicago, the first recovery high school in Illinois and was the past president of the board of the Illinois Chapter of NAADAC. I have been a university educator for many decades, having taught at the University of Chicago, Illinois State University, Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and Loyola University of Chicago, School of Social Work.
Perhaps the thing that means the most to me in my efforts to strengthen recovery efforts in the United States and beyond is my work to record and preserve the recovery history within African American Recovery. I am the sole curator of the Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery, to the best of my knowledge it holds the most comprehensive record of recovery within the African American community ever compiled.
- What would you like people to know about the history of the recovery movement In African American Communities from your perspective as a historian?
There are four distinct eras of our history I would like to emphasis. The first one was right after the American Revolution. There was a temperance movement in America that started at that time because alcohol misuse was pervasive. Martha Washington, the first, first lady of the United States was involved in these efforts that later become known as the Martha Washingtonian or also as the Ladies Washington Society. Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), who played a pivotal role in the abolition of slavery in the United States, was also a leading temperance advocate. Douglass viewed ritualized drunkenness (drinking contests for slaves hosted by slave masters) as part of the machinery of slavery and viewed sobriety as a key strategy in the emancipation and full citizenship of African Americans. In one of his writings, he talked about how alcohol was used to keep slaves in servitude:
“One plan is, to make bets on their slaves, as to who can drink the most whisky without getting drunk; and in this way they succeed in getting whole multitudes to drink to excess. Thus, when the slave asks for virtuous freedom, the cunning slaveholder, knowing his ignorance, cheats him with a dose of vicious dissipation, artfully labelled with the name of liberty. The most of us used to drink it down, and the result was just what might be supposed; many of us were led to think that there was little to choose between liberty and slavery. We felt, and very properly too, that we had almost as well be slaves to man as to rum. So, when the holidays ended, we staggered up from the filth of our wallowing, took a long breath, and marched to the field,—feeling, upon the whole, rather glad to go, from what our master had deceived us into a belief was freedom, back to the arms of slavery.”
Douglass believed that temperance was key to liberation, and he became the first prominent African American in US History to embrace and promote abstinence from alcohol. He used his own story so that others within the African American community would consider abstinence from alcohol.
The second period I would highlight is the 1940s and what happened in Cleveland Ohio at that time. An African American woman who was seeking help for her drinking went to the Akron area for help shortly after AA was formed. Because of segregation, she was not allowed to participate in the meetings, but they gave her a copy of the 12 steps. She went home to Cleveland and started what were known as the Cleveland Friends Clubs. These became gathering places for African Americans in recovery. Our earliest example of African American recovery communities. They held AA fish fries, and AA BBQs, and AA poker nights where people gathered and supported each other into and to sustain recovery. I have met and spoken to people who were around in that era, and they told me that in that era before they understood the 12 steps, recovery was about 90% fellowship and 10% based on the 12 steps.
Chicago also played an important role in our early history. One facet of our local recovery history is the Evans Avenue Club which originated in 1945 and it still is in existence today. Its first anniversary dinner was held at the historic Hull House in March 1946, with 18 people present. The nine Evans Avenue members and nine from other groups. In late 1946, the first meeting outside the homes was held at Friendship House, 43rd and Indiana Avenue. The group met at Friendship House for about three months, then moved to Parkway Community House. Seventy-six years later, the Evans Avenue club is still serving the community.
One of the myths I would most like to dispel is that African Americans do not do well in 12 step recovery. The history above illustrates that fact. I also knew people in our community who were involved in these 12-step based early recovery communities. I am aware of one sponsorship family that came out of this era that still meets for an annual picnic in Lake Geneva with over 200 people attending. 12 step recovery is certainly one of the many pathways of recovery that supports recovery for African Americans.
The third era I would like to focus on is the 1960s. This was a time in American History in which we saw an increase in heroin use across the United States. We also saw an increase in incarceration in comparison to earlier times. You may be aware that Malcolm X was a person in open recovery. His recovery started while he was incarcerated. He was influenced by a man named John Elton Bembry, who Malcolm knew as Bimbi and converted Malcolm to Islam through prayer. Malcolm had a conversion experience similar to Bill W where he saw a bright white light. He then embarked on a practice he referred to as “fishing for the dead.” The goal of this program was outreach to incarcerated African Americans to help them with recovery, employment, and to avoid future incarcerations. I wrote about the parallels that he had with Frederick Douglass and the lessons we can learn from their legacies in a piece I published on the Great Lakes ATTC site titled “Lessons from the Recovery Legacies of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X” that may be of interest to readers.
Also, in this era we saw the formation of the Black Panthers Party, which was founded in 1966 by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale to challenge police brutality against the African American community. They saw the prevalence of substance misuse and addiction as a form of genocide. They encouraged people to stop drinking and using drugs. They even later pioneered the use of acupuncture to be used to support detoxification efforts. One of the untold stories in American History is that when the Black Panthers formed chapters in communities, those communities saw a decrease in prostitution, they saw a decrease in drug use, and they saw a decrease in incarceration. When those chapters were forced out of communities all of these problems increased again. I had a brother-in-law who was active in the Black Panthers, and the only time I ever saw him cry was when one of those efforts to eliminate a local chapter worked and they saw a lot of their community strengthening strategies dashed.
The final era was in the mid-1980s, particularly events in 1986. While in 1986 Betty Ford was raising awareness about alcoholism and improving public sentiment about seeing alcoholism as a medical condition a different story was unfolding in respect to crack cocaine. Stimulant use had been on the increase in the early 80s during the era that cocaine was glamorized as a high-end drug. Richard Pryor nearly died while freebasing cocaine. In the years after that, crack cocaine was formulated, with the ether that was used in earlier smoking methods being replaced with baking soda, which made a crackling sound when heated. Cocaine use was increasing at that time across all demographics. Then came the death of Len Bias. He was the second pick on the NBA draft that year. On June 19th, 1986, two days after being selected by the Boston Celtics with the second overall pick, Bias died from cardiac arrhythmia induced by a cocaine overdose. It was a tragedy for such a gifted young man with a promising future.
While this raised national awareness about risks associated with cocaine use. Tragically, that awareness was used to criminalize addiction in ways that had a disparate impact on African Americans who were using cocaine. This occurred through the passage of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 also known as the Len Bias Law, which was signed by President Reagan on October 27th, 1986. The act mandated a minimum sentence of 5 years without parole for possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine while it mandated the same for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine.
Crack use was more widely prevalent in African American communities than white communities. This 100:1 disparity was one of the drivers of the incarceration of black Americans in America skyrocketed starting in this era. In 1985, there was around 400,000 African Americans incarcerated, in 1995, it has risen to over a million and in 2005 it was over 2 million and in 2015 over 2.5 million. It is hard to overstate for readers who may not know what the consequences are of a felony arrest. You can recover from addiction, but not from a felony, it follows you around for the rest of your life and carries with it huge barriers to living to your full capacity, even decades after people turn their lives around and recover from addiction.
- What influenced efforts to bring together the African American community to support recovery efforts?
There were three factors I want to talk about that related to what brought are communities together. The first was the impact that mass incarceration had on our African American communities. We saw large numbers of people being incarcerated for long sentences – 5 or even 30-year terms. It broke up families and impacted whole communities. Incarceration instead of help, barriers to getting our lives back together rather than support for wellness. The inability to secure safe housing and viable employment post release as a direct result of laws that made it nearly impossible for felons to take care of their basic human needs. The second factor was the violence in our communities and a desire to change what was happening. The 1980s and 1990s were a period in which we did see an increase of killings in our communities related to gang violence. People selling crack on street corners and turf wars. One encouraging note on this is that horrible trend peaked in the period between 1986 and 1996 with black on black homicides being cut in half since that era. My sense is that the third factor in what brought our African American recovery communities together is that there are more of us in recovery. Despite all the barriers, a lot of African Americans in America have found their way into long term recovery. We all saw what was happening and had a desire to do something about what we saw. We wanted to pay it forward.
- What has been accomplished through these efforts that has had the most benefit?
We have accomplished so very much. There are grassroots, community based African American run recovery community organizations all across the United States. These organizations are visible and viable evidence of recovery in our communities and the impact that recovery can have to restore our lives, reunite families, and heal communities. There are more 12 step and other recovery fellowship meetings and supports available in our communities than ever. We organize more rallies and public events that raise awareness about the power of recovery than at any point in history. We have policy people and researchers like Dr. Carl Hart, a researcher from Columbia University working on harm reduction and Dr. William Cloud who have worked to dispel myths about addiction and explore recovery capital in our communities.
The expansion of recovery community and the resultant development of recovery capital in those communities are one of the greatest untold stories of the what has happened in the era of the New Recovery Advocacy Movement. Projects like the Detroit Recovery Project, the Northern Ohio Recovery Association and the Association of People Affected by Addiction in Dallas Texas are examples of what can be accomplished. We now have evidence of what happens when recovery communities are organized and provided opportunities and infrastructure to address their own needs in their own communities. We are seeing groups come together and work to address housing, employment and recovery support needs in these communities that have served to heal individuals, families, and whole neighborhoods. They have helped to move us towards a continuum of services and supports that more fully address our needs. Developed by these communities, supported by these communities and for these communities.
- In hindsight, what was missed in efforts to forward these efforts?
We may have underestimated the impact of the unraveling of our SUD service system over this same period we were bringing our communities together. As an example, in 1986 and in the immediately following years, managed care was on the increase in the private insurance market in America. It was hoped that cost management would save money and improve efficiency in medical care. One of the things that happened is that there were mass closures of inpatient SUD and residential SUD programing across the United States. Access to treatment was reduced and lengths of stays shortened. This occurred across all of America and it also in care for African American communities. Long term treatment, that supported wellness across multiple life areas all but disappeared, leaving largely acute care programs that did not meet our needs even as we were coming together to support longer term care and support services.
Dr. Silkworth talked about in the famous Doctors Opinion letter how alcoholics were sick body mind and spirit and that given opportunities to heal, have can be transformative. Longer term services incorporated into a continuum of care that provides support and healing across multiple life areas vital are elements of healing from addiction. Acute stabilization is simply not enough. The gradual elimination of care that met our needs resulted in a growing awareness that we needed to come together and start advocating for ourselves. These are some of things created the environment together and began to shift the tide. We have come along way, we have still farther to go. We need to revitalize a full continuum of care that include harm reduction efforts, long term treatment options and community-based recovery support services.
- Values that helped with the work to unite the community and forward these goals?
I think that some of our African Cultural norms have had a significant positive impact on the efforts within our communities and to support recovery in our communities. One of the pillars of these values is collectivism. It has been expressed as the concept of “Ubuntu” – I am because we are. Who we are as people is shaped by our elders and our relationships with our whole community. We are all connected. That our common bonds within a group are more important than any individual arguments and divisions within it. It fits well with the core values of the new recovery advocacy movement.
The second value relates to our extended family orientation. We have a value of interdependence and communal support. It is a huge strength to tap into for improving wellness and support within our communities. Thinking of a personal example. In the family I am thinking about addiction was prevalent, the father died in 1986. One of the sons went into treatment in 1987. When it came time for family sessions, and the son reached out to connect, at first efforts were not successful. Harms had occurred to the family and there was some estrangement due to his use and the impact his addiction had on the family. When the lens was shifted and the counselor working with him reached out to recruit the extended family members and to focusing on the extended family and their collective wellness, the response was very different. Food was included as sharing of meals is an essential ritual when family comes together. Everyone showed up and rallied together. 39 members of the family, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews came together to support not just him, but each other. It was a beautiful thing. This individual was the first member of that family to get into recovery, but now that entire extended family is in recovery. This really highlights the need to focus on extended family work to support recovery in African American communities.
- What message would you want to pass on to the next generation about what has been learned and what remains to be done?
A quote from Carter G. Woodson come to mind. “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions.” It is vital that we study and understand our own recovery history. It is a rich history. It can inform us of effective ways to harness our resources to strengthen our communities and it can inform us about potential pitfalls and barriers. If you are new to this work or a young person wanting to get involved and support effective change, start with becoming a student of our history and what has been accomplished and how it was done. This is so very important.
The other thing we need to do is focus on mentoring. Wherever you are, establish mentoring processes in which older generations mentor younger generations. These need to be set up as permanent structures within our treatment and recovery support infrastructure. Thinking back to what I was saying in respect to the values and strengths of our extended family focus and the critical importance of supporting each other. What I am thinking of is similar to that. Multigenerational mentoring circles where we invest in the development and the support of our younger leaders. They are our future; it is through them that we will accomplish even greater things. Start these processes now and our younger leaders will see their work extend into the next generation beyond them and into the future.
The 2021 Year-in-Review Community Townhall was an informative talk to thank the community for their contributions to making 2021 such a success, and for sharing in SMART’s excitement for another great year ahead. Please enjoy the presentation.
Watch the presentation on our YouTube channel.
Click here to view the presentation slides.
PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT:
SMART Recovery welcomes comments on our blog posts—we enjoy hearing from you! In the interest of maintaining a respectful and safe community atmosphere, we ask that you adhere to the following guidelines when making or responding to others’ comments, regardless of your point of view. Thank you.
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
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We look forward to you joining the conversation!
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Stay Strong in Your Recovery During the Holidays
The holiday season presents particular challenges to those suffering from substance use disorder. While it would be ideal for the holidays to be a time of unfettered enjoyment, relaxation, and downtime from the work and stresses of life, it is not always so. For many people, the holidays may also represent a great deal of stress. Not only is now the time for travel and shopping for friends and family, but holiday times can be a reminder of family wounds, fresh or old – especially if there remains any kind of dysfunction in the immediate or extended family.
Those who have never suffered from addiction or mental illness can often overcome these stresses, or suppress their emotions for the sake of peace and quiet. But for those suffering from addiction, and especially those with co-occurring mental illness, may find that the holiday times actually act as a trigger for their disease. Times of high stress can set the stage for potential relapse, as well as depression, anxiety and self-defeating behaviors.
It is for that reason that recovering addicts and those suffering from mental illness should surround themselves with positive forces in their support system. The friends, family members and sponsors that are attuned to their particular circumstances, can be the ones best suited to assist an individual through a potentially difficult time.
This time of year may also be an ideal moment to refresh the relapse prevention techniques learned in recovery and even attend an unscheduled therapy session or two to reinforce the principles of long-term recovery and sobriety. An individual can also use this time to reach out to their treatment center, confirming that their sobriety is on track and revisiting an environment that they know is both welcoming and supportive.
While families and friends may see the holiday time as a reminder of the difficulties and pain they experienced during the time that their loved one was abusing substances, it can also be a time of healing and letting bygones be bygones. Everyone can benefit from happy and healthy holidays without anger or judgment.
Tips to remember:
- Make the time for meetings.
- Keep in touch with your sponsor and friends in the program.
- Try to keep your routine to give each day structure.
- Remember, it is OK to say no if something does not serve or support your recovery.
Additional Resources:
Investing time to prepare for self–care allows you to think of the holiday season in a different way and marks the start of a new tradition in your life of recovery. Don’t succumb to feelings of stress, or even isolation. Here are some additional resources for those in recovery this holiday season:
- For AA meetings near you, by state: https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/find-aa-resources
- For NA meetings near you, by state: https://www.na.org/meetingsearch/
- Sober podcasts for long drives or to combat feelings of boredom: https://sobercast.com/Home
- NA Speakers on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=na+speakers
- AA Speakers on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aa+speaker
About Fellowship Hall
Fellowship Hall is a 99-bed, private, not-for-profit alcohol and drug treatment center located on 120 tranquil acres in Greensboro, N.C. We provide treatment and evidence-based programs built upon the Twelve-Step model of recovery. We have been accredited by The Joint Commission since 1974 as a specialty hospital and are a member of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. We are committed to providing exceptional, compassionate care to every individual we serve.
Monitoring the Future is an annual drug use survey of eighth, 10th and 12th grade students conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
From February through June 2021, the Monitoring the Future investigators collected 32,260 surveys from students enrolled across 319 public and private schools in the United States.