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National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs will jointly convene the National Behavioral Health Conference and Policy Academy on Returning Veterans and their Families on August 11-13, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda Hotel in Bethesda, MD.

This special event will help Federal, State and local partners improve and enhance mental health and substance abuse services for returning veterans and their families and to facilitate nationwide sharing of information on mental health care delivery systems. Attendees will be provided evidence-based information to assist veterans and their families in building resiliency and preventing and /or treating complex conditions, including mental disorders (for example Post-Traumatic Stress), as well as substance use disorders, suicide, homelessness, domestic violence, traumatic brain injury, and co-occurring disorders.

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A Thanksgiving Story

Columns - Wellness

Written by John Newport, PhD

Thursday, 30 November 2006

As Thanksgiving Day approaches, we are drawn to turn our attention to the many manifest blessings in our lives - as well as to those blessings yet to come. In counting our blessings, let us give thanks for the gift of sobriety, for the gifts of life and health, and for the many positive aspects of our relationships with our loved ones, friends and co-workers. In my new home in the Northwest, the trees are replete with brilliant autumn colors and the air is crisp and clear. As I awaken each morning, I give thanks for the beautiful loving woman by my side. And as I look out the window at the beautiful lagoon below us, I give thanks for the beauty and serenity of our new home.

In the spirit of celebrating wellness in recovery, in this month's column I would like to share with you a very special Thanksgiving story. This is a true story, centered on our family's trials and tribulations revolving around my stepdaughter's 20-year addiction to speed and alcohol, and her initiation of recovery. Please feel free to share this story with your clients, and anyone else who might benefit from it's message.

The gift from the Menorah

I vividly recall that cold, rainy day almost 15 years ago as I sat waiting in the Women's Central Jail to visit my stepdaughter, Linda, who had just been arrested for drug possession. Linda had been addicted to speed and alcohol since age 15; almost 20 years later she was still in total denial. When I finally got to see her that evening, I gently yet firmly confronted her with the reality of her addiction. I told her that her mom and I were worried that she would never live to see her fortieth birthday. I left her some 12-Step literature, and she began going to in-house meetings. When she was transferred to a prison farm in San Diego County, her mom and I visited her on weekends, and we were encouraged by her continued participation in 12-Step meetings. After she was released, however, she took up with her old boyfriend and drifted back into her old ways.

Predictably, a few years later she was arrested again. This time, by the grace of God, she was placed in a court-mandated residential treatment program. She literally entered that program "kicking and screaming." Her life had become totally unmanageable. Among other things, she had lost custody of her two daughters. Fortunately, her sister managed to gain custody of the girls while Linda was completing treatment.

That November the girls ended up spending Thanksgiving with Ann and myself. That year the Thanksgiving holiday coincided with the beginning of Hanukkah. While I am not Jewish, the Hanukkah tradition holds special meaning for me, and I eagerly look forward to witnessing the annual Festival of Lights. Little did I know that we were about to witness a very powerful healing experience embodying the power of hope and gratitude in recovery.

The night after Thanksgiving marked the beginning of Hanukkah. We explained the Hanukkah tradition to our granddaughters, including the candle lighting ceremony. As we lit the first candle, ascribing the quality of love to the flickering flame, the oldest granddaughter proclaimed, "I love my mommy, and I want to have her back with us." The next night as we lit the second candle, we reflected on the quality of hope. As we took turns sharing what this meant to us, the oldest granddaughter said, "I miss my mommy, and I hope that she will be back with us soon."

Flash forward to a few months later; my wife and I, together with our two granddaughters, were visiting Linda at her treatment program's open house. This was a very special day, and I will always remember her oldest daughter asking Linda: "Now mommy, are you sure that you're doing all of the right things, like they're teaching you here?"

The following November we were all together for Thanksgiving dinner - my wife and myself, my stepdaughter and her two daughters, other members of our family - and my old high school buddy, Dave, who had just initiated sobriety earlier that year. Linda had completed treatment, was working her program and holding down a full-time job, and was reunited with her two daughters. She was, indeed, a grateful recovering alcoholic/addict, and we were overwhelmed with gratitude as we witnessed the gift of her sobriety first-hand.

In closing, I hope that this year's Thanksgiving celebration brings you fully in touch with the blessings in your life - and that you will follow your heart to the blessings yet to come. Until next time - to your health!