Letting Go

This morning I am going to a funeral of a young man, a friend, whose struggle with addiction was too much for him , and he was overcome.  While his path of recovery was arduous, to say the least, he always remained lighthearted and jovial, in the face of his demons.  But as much as we try to remain strong, sometimes we falter and the darkness does us in.

So what is my obligation, my responsibility as a sober person, in the face of tragedy?  Is it cliche to feel a need to promise to draw close to my friends and family, and my community?  To vow to help the less fortunate and the newcomer? To pledge to reform my character flaws and shortcomings?  Why is it that in times of sadness, in the pinacle reminder of my own mortality, do I make the hardest, and often the most neglected decisions?

While it is important to learn and grow from these difficult moments in our lives, we must remind ourselves to use them as speed bumps and not necessarily launching platforms.  The founders of AA knew that changing lifestyles burdened by addiction was no easy feat.  Each step down the road of life is a challenge, and thus we are reminded that we cannot fix all our problems in single leaps and bounds; we are not sober supermen.

Instead, we must take away a strength to endure, to thrive in our sobriety, to fight the great fight.  We must reflect upon our journey, and accumulate the wealth of our experiences, and pass on that wisdom to those who have yet to taste the bittersweetness of this disease.  We are endebted to the newcomer, who constantly reminds us of our beginnings, and to the old timer as well, who points us to the promises of satisfaction and warm sentiments of being content.

And we are urged to look within ourselves and find the part of ourselves that we wish to bury with the deceased.  What part of ourselves are we ready to let go of, and what part to we wish to breathe new life into?  Our suffering is not unwarranted, and the pain of loss is not unfounded.  We cry over the poor soul that couldn’t hold on any longer, and in our tears we see our own reflection.  Perhaps, at the end of the AA meeting, when we take a moment to pause and reflect on the Alcoholic who still suffers, we are not just paying homage to the degenerate drunk in the alley.  Perhaps we take a moment of silence to say goodbye to the parts of ourselves that we bury each day, and to the path of recovery we trudge, onward towards the future.

Written by: Yonah, an Alumni of Beit T’Shuvah

One Step at a Time

What is recovery? Is it just avoiding doing drugs and drinking? Or is it something more than that? Recovery is so much more than abstinence. It is fundamentally the process by which we learn to be healthier and happier human beings, as well as productive members of society. For a long time I depended on other people’s hard work to sustain me. I simply took what I wanted with no regard for anyone. I became very comfortable with that type of reckless lifestyle, in spite of the fact that it was destroying me from the inside out. Once I was removed from that lifestyle I really did not know what to do with myself; my skill set was not at all useful in this new life. It was very uncomfortable. All my attitudes and beliefs had been conditioned to help me get loaded and stay loaded.   It was no wonder why many addicts find early sobriety so counter intuitive and disheartening.  This feeling of discomfort is an essential factor to early recovery. By walking through that initial discomfort is how we grow as people. It is  how we accept new ways of dealing with old situations. Recovery is developing new ways of thinking and new attitudes towards life. And you’ll  find that once you change your attitude towards the world , the world will change its attitude towards you.

Trudging the Path of Happy Destiny

I recently started working at CAST Recovery as the Manager of IT and have seen great successes through the Sober Companion program.  At first, I struggled with the idea of sober companionship.  I have over a year sober, live in a sober dorm, and I work a strong program.  I found it hard to believe that grown adults needed, what seemed like, overpaid and often over-stressed, babysitters to keep them in good behavior.  After seeing the interaction between the CAST sober companions and clients, I came to find a new understanding of the dynamic and the invaluable role the sober companion plays.

The sober companion acts more of a life-coach than a babysitter, a sober sherpa per say, using personal strength and experience to show the client a new way of living.  While the client may have established a decent foundation of sobriety in treatment, often the client is unprepared for the onslaught of temptation. That is, while roaming the streets of Santa Monica, it is easy to be bombarded by personally directed marketing media encouraging the consumption of alcoholic beverages, not to mention a culture which flirts with easy money, fast cars, and the slightest hint of wanton sexuality.

While the treatment center and 12 Step meetings feel safe and warm, the greatest test comes in the space outside the rooms.  The Sober companion lends an aura of support and stability, a safety net of confidence and restraint to the client who is in pursuit of some semblance of self in relation to the greater outside world.  The Sober companion lends program and structure, and in return gains a greater sense of serenity, giving back to a system of symbiosis that once lent stalwart compassionate guidance to them.

Fun in Sobriety

I got sober when I was 19, and by far one of my biggest worries was that I would miss out on being young and having fun. Of course I didn’t consider at the time that my life over the last couple years, cooped up in someone else’s messy drug den waiting for my next fix, was not what most people would consider fun.

I believe that learning to have a good time in sobriety is one of the most important parts of relapse prevention. I had to re-learn how to be with people without being high and how to put my self in social situations I found uncomfortable and deal with the discomfort. I found out that it is not the event that makes it fun, but what you bring to it.

Today I am able to enjoy things that before I got sober I would have dreaded. I went to the West Hollywood Halloween parade (I hate big crowds) and had fun, I went mini golfing (I suck at sports) and had fun, hell, I can hit up CVS with the right company and have a better time than I would have had two years ago getting drunk. Personally I’ve never been a big fan of clubs or parties, but I know plenty of people who are, and once they are comfortable in their sobriety they are still able to go and have just as much fun as they used to.

In sobriety, not only are there still plenty of things to do, I actually have more fun doing them than I did before.

Written By: Shayna Niewald , An Alumni of Beit T’Shuvah

The CAST team often provides alternative sentencing, helping clients reduce DUI sentences and drug sentences. We serve as client advocates to the court systems, helping clients fight for addiction treatment instead of jail time. We believe that addicts benefit much more from our treatment than jail for addiction related offenses. We are happy to help individuals reduce drug sentences and achieve recovery, rather than continuing the cycle of jail and addiction.

Drug and DUI sentence reductions and alternative sentencing are popular services of CAST and we have achieved many successful alternative sentences for our clients. Here is an except from our program page:

“CAST’s alternative sentencing program offers several services for individuals with legal problems- particularly drug sentences and DUI sentences. The CAST staff negotiates with the justice system at all stages of the legal process. CAST clients have the benefit of an advocate to accompany them to court appearances, probation hearings, and other court mandated appointments. The CAST program has long standing relationships with reputable attorneys to facilitate admission to recovery programs instead of incarceration. We believe that clients with drug sentences and DUI sentences often benefit more from treatment than jail. Our goal is to help clients stay out of prison and become accountable and responsible. We provide structure and monitoring so our clients can achieve long-term recovery.”

CAST Recovery offers sober companions, sober escorts and recovery companions for anyone who needs extra attention. Examples of situations which may call for a sober companion include early sobriety, adjusting from inpatient treatment to homelife and high pressure events.

The sober companion is someone who accompanies and monitors a client depending on the individual’s level of need. Sober and recovery companions are available for 24-hour care. The level and duration of monitoring can be adjusted based on the client’s behavior and progress.

･ More intensive supervision
･ Structure/containment
･ More accountability with client’s support team
･ Assurance that client’s home is a safe environment for recovery
･ Medication management
･ Appointment scheduling
･ Companionship at meetings and appointments

The primary, progressive, chronic, and fatal disease of addiction does not discriminate.  As a result, many professionals succumb to its powerful force and overwhelming costs, often times after a prolonged, demoralizing struggle aggravated and intensified by the pressures and pace of professional life.

That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the disease of addiction is treatable, and we at CAST Recovery know how to care for the entire person.

Our experience and independent research indicate that ongoing support is essential to attain long-term recovery. We understand that every client travels a unique road —which is precisely why the CAST program offers highly individualized recovery plans that lead to healthy and successful lives.

The medical professionals, clinicians, treatment specialists, and case managers at CAST understand that recovery issues are often very complex, especially for professionals, experts, authorities, and specialists, as they’re often placed in a constant state of uncertainty regarding their futures- both professional and personal.  The secrecy and resulting isolation, guilt, and shame often build a seemingly impenetrable wall around the individual and his/her disease.

At CAST, we help individuals to transition from the:

• Dependence on chemicals to independence and autonomy to make one’s own choices;

• Helplessness of keeping a damaging secret to the hopefulness of living a happy, fulfilling, productive life;

• Weakness created by enslavement to a seemingly innocuous substance to the strength of empowerment to live life on life’s terms;

• Failed self-reliance and a never-ending string of horrific decisions to the healthy interdependence upon professional and personal support, accountability, and holistic health.

CAST’s continuum of care offerings for professionals include the following:

• Comprehensive assessment, evaluation , and consultation
• Individualized continuing aftercare treatment planning
• Specialized individual and group therapy for professionals
• Family therapy and family support
• Regular visits to an Addictionologist
• Relapse Prevention planning and education
• Short – and long – term goal setting and attainment
• Sober Companionship and  sober living environments
• Promotion 12 step meeting integration into continuing aftercare plans
• Regular drug and alcohol testing and referrals to/collaboration with diversion and monitoring programs
• Vocational coaching or/or assistance with returning to work
• Sober fun  and activities

At CAST, our Professionals Program is designed exclusively for professionals, experts, authorities, and specialists.  Our goal is to support the individual as he/she reengages in life with a new and increased sense of purpose, self worth and awareness.

Article by David Bohl, CAST Case Manager

Let’s face it- nobody likes the average business blog. For this reason, we won’t bore you with updates about our new cappuccino machine or recycled content from our other websites. Instead, this blog will be the hub for the young and enthusiastic employees of CAST Recovery to express their passion for recovery from the disease of addiction.

This blog will document releases from our new ventures: CAST Media and CAST Advocacy.

CAST Media is our media outreach organization, with a mission to address the issues of addiction and prevention in a truthful, and maybe even fun, way. Remember the D.A.R.E. program? It won’t be like that.

CAST Advocacy is our social action organization. Our mission is to use online social media outlets to educate and advocate for the pressing issues of addiction and recovery. The internet has provided new and exciting opportunities to reach out to and rally large numbers of people over social and political causes – the many ’causes’ on Facebook with millions of members are evidence of this. We believe that issues of addiction and recovery are under-represented on the web and that it is our responsibility to reach out.

We hope that you will subscribe to our RSS feed and stick around for our updates.