- Alcohol
- Drugs
- Faith
- Friends & Family
- Mental Health
Six months ago the wheels fell off my life completely and the people I love the most in the world put me on a plane headed for the foothills of Georgia. I had never heard of the facility and was not too thrilled about going there or, for that matter, any other inpatient rehab facility. My only real goal was to push through 30 days and go right home to a codependent relationship and try yet again to get sober by doing the same things I’d been trying for fifteen years.
Once I arrived at the facility I did my best to follow the advice my sponsor gave me the night before I left. He looked me in the eye and said, “Just say yes. No matter what they tell you, no matter what they ask you to do. Don’t think about it and just say yes.”
When I was told in my assessment that they would rather see me sleep through sessions than isolate in my room, I went to (and slept through) all of the daily sessions. When the sign-up sheet for low ropes, high ropes courses and horse riding went up on the bulletin board, I said yes. Most importantly when I was told I had a better chance of staying sober by going to California to do an outpatient program and live in a sober living house, I said yes.
I didn’t want to do that anymore than I wanted to go to rehab in the first place. My plan to bide my time for 30 days and then return home had been foiled.
Reluctantly I got on yet another plane and flew to San Diego, CA. This time I planned to stay for the duration of the two-month outpatient program and then go back to Baltimore, MD. Better late than never.
It has been 6 months since I go off that plane in San Diego and I can’t describe the difference in my life. My sober living house was amazing. The Outpatient program was equally amazing. Most importantly…I am amazing! In 71 short days I grew into a person that exceeded my wildest dreams of who I could be. I’ve had the courage to not only come to California for two months, but to make the decision to relocate here permanently because of the quality of sobriety I have found.
The treatment facility in GA allowed me to find the courage within myself. The tools I learned have given me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and I’ve gained some measure of wisdom to know the difference. For that, I will be eternally grateful.