- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Mental Health
submitted by: Susanne Johnson
Chasity works as a resident assistant at MARR Atlanta in a women’s program that specializes in women with children in need for recovery from any substance use disorder. This was her first Heroes in Recovery race. She came with some of her co-workers and 27 of their clients to participate in this fun event for the recovery community and now they are planning to continue this in the coming years. Some of the clients did run the race, some walked it, some volunteered to give water or medals to the runners, and several just came to enjoy the fellowship and community.
She has about 30 clients in her department and her job is to watch over each client and ensure they are okay and follow the program. Chasity has a lot of empathy for the clients who come to the treatment facility, although she had never a problem with addiction herself.
She describes her true love for the job and what a great feeling it is to be with the women from day one until the end of their six month stay. “It is very exciting and positive to see them grow,” she says. Although Chasity is not in recovery herself, she works the 12 steps and believes in a higher power, which is God for her. She sees a big improvement within the ladies in the program after only a short period. She notices that they get more positive and start thinking outside of the box.
The most important advice she gives to the women who graduate the program and leaves the facility after a half year is “Keep going and don’t look back!” For those who are not in recovery yet, she says, “Accept the challenge of getting better!”