Christian Rehab in the Age of COVID-19

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In today’s world, thanks to the Coronavirus, it may seem like uncertainty and fear are behind almost every corner. Also commonly known as COVID-19, this virus has caused extreme unrest and panic across the world. Since being brought to all of the main media outlets and grabbing our somewhere back in the beginning of this year, COVID-19 has forced nations to shut down, causing businesses and government agencies to shut their doors to the public in hopes of flattening the curve. Since the virus has a high-exposure rate, and lives on surfaces for an extended period of time, only businesses that were deemed essential were allowed to stay open. Unfortunately, this has caused many problems of its own that are being felt across the globe.

COVID-19’s Effect on Drug Use And Relapse

One of the main issues being seen are the high percentage of relapse rates among people in addiction recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. This is due to a large number of reasons. Things like high unemployment rates and isolation due to cities being shut down and large numbers of people who are self-quarantining. Additionally, free federal aid is being granted, which may allow easier access to drugs, there have been closures of outpatient drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, there is no longer any access to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings, etc. Unfortunately, due to the nature of coronavirus, people are being forced to self-isolate and they are being cut off from the important lifelines that help to keep them clean and sober.

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Options are available for Christians seeking drug rehabilitation in these trying times.

Although drug and alcohol rehab facilities, including those that are Christian based, have been forced to make some difficult decisions, they have also come up with some revolutionary ways to remain a valuable source to those in recovery who may still need it. It is through Christ that many are able to be saved, and in order to help God’s followers who may be in need, especially during this time of social distancing, is by offering remote drug and/or alcohol rehab.

Remote rehab is usually an outpatient program that is designed to fit the specific needs of an individual with the use of digital technologies, such as Facetime, Zoom, or Skype. This is great for anyone in the faith who still needs rehab treatment during this time. Below are some of the benefits that Christian-based remote drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs offer;

Increased Level of Privacy From Remote Drug Rehab

All too often it seems like nothing is ever kept a secret anymore. Well, with remote drug rehab you never have to worry about that again. It can help save you the potential embarrassment of someone seeing you while at an alcohol or drug treatment facility. Not only that, but being able to attend a counseling session, with a licensed Christian therapist one-on-one, through the internet, on your phone, computer, or tablet provides an increased sense of privacy as you do not have to leave the comfort of your own home. You could even attend your meetings in your pajamas.

More Flexibility in Addiction Treatment

It is pretty typical of outpatient programs to require their participants to attend classes on a specific day at a certain time, usually several times a week. This can be difficult to fit in with a busy schedule. Most of us know how stressful it can be trying to keep up with a high amount of demanding tasks in our everyday life. The good news is that remote rehab offers more flexibility.  Remote drug and alcohol programs will usually allow you to pick an available appointment that fits easily into the schedule you already have. A lot of times this is better than having to be somewhere, all the way across town at a certain time of day.

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Attending an outpatient drug rehabilitation program is easier than you think. Many of your meetings can now be done online.

Added Comfortability – Drug Rehab From Home

In addition to increased flexibility and added privacy is the enhanced comfortability of Christian based remote rehab. Gone now are the days where we have to decide what to wear to our next meeting or appointment. Instead, it has become easier than ever to get closer to God while in recovery as we can attend rehab, and do all of the other things that we need, and never change out of our sweatpants. Remote rehab lets you get the help that you need right from home, and you never have to worry what anyone else but what God thinks, because who cares what you look like when you’re just sitting on the couch at home?

Guaranteed One-on-One Time With An Addiction Specialist

Another great thing about remote drug rehab is that you are guaranteed to get more one-on-one time. Most outpatient rehabilitation programs require that you meet a few times a week with a group of peers who are also on the journey to sobriety. Although this can be great at times, it can also sometimes mean that you don’t get all of the feedback that you would like. The great thing with remote drug and alcohol rehab is that you are guaranteed to get more one-on-one time with your Christian counselor or addiction treatment specialist. This can be even more useful during a time where life is drastically changing on a daily basis for everyone. A little extra time with someone who truly understands, can make all the difference, especially in these uncertain times of quarantine.

So, if you are a follower of God, and our Savior Jesus Christ, and you are struggling with an addiction, then do not worry. There is still hope, even in a time where it may not feel like it. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). There has never been a more powerful time to reach out for help. It may seem like the world has shut down, but at 10 Acre Ranch, we are still here to help you, in the name of the Lord. If you, or a loved one, have strayed from the path of righteousness, just know that you are not alone. Christ, our Lord, will always have a hand for you to reach out and hold.

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If you’re staying at home, many addiction treatment services are available from 10 Acre Ranch over the phone, or online. Call us right away!

 

(877) 228-4679

Recovery: Setting Goals for 2018

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With the New Year upon us, many people in recovery are undoubtedly considering what they’d like to accomplish in the upcoming 365 days. While “future tripping” is frowned upon in recovery, that doesn’t mean you can’t set goals. In fact, writing down a few things that you hope to alter, amend, or add to your life is healthy as long as one is realistic about what you wish to bring to fruition.

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Those who work a program of recovery learn right away that they can no longer have illusions of control. They realize that trying to play God did not have the intended outcome. We must keep in mind that letting go, and allowing one’s “higher power” to preside over the course of your life is a vital component of achieving lasting recovery. We only have the power to make choices and hopefully our decisions today are conducive to addiction recovery.

Your life today consists of doing the next right thing, which you accomplish by being open and honest with not only ourselves but with others too. It’s often said that most anything is possible in recovery, and individuals find that things are made possible through living by the principles of recovery. With that in mind, if there are things you would like to see changed or bring into your life, just keep attending meetings and following directions. Good things happen in the lives of people who stay the course.

Realistic Resolutions In Recovery

Just to be clear, working a program doesn’t mean that your higher power will grant everything you want. However, if you set goals for yourself and go about achieving them by honest means, there is an excellent chance you will see your dreams realized. While people who have been around for a while might set more ambitious goals than someone in early recovery, the vehicle used for progress in one’s life is the same.

If you are in early recovery, maybe you’d like to have cravings disappear. Even though everyone’s desire to use drugs or alcohol dissipates at different times, those who continue to do the work eventually find that their sporadic insatiable urges to use wane. Every time you resist the yearning to get high or drunk, it gets easier. At first, it’s a mental battle; down the road, however, you just brush the yen to use off your shoulder. People in their first year of recovery may have had to resist scores of times in 2017; if you keep doing what you’re doing, you might find it occurs less or not at all in the coming year. Please keep in mind that cravings are normal, not acting on them is progress, and that is a remarkable achievement. A realistic resolution in early recovery is endeavoring to not act on cravings and praying that they one day will be nonexistent.

Resolve to Help Newcomers

Individuals who’ve been around a bit longer might consider talking to more newcomers a goal for 2018. In the hustle of everyday life, we can lose sight of the importance of newcomers, and how vital it is to support their recovery. When we reach out to people who are fresh in recovery, we strengthen our recovery.

Everyone in the program was a newcomer at one point. People introduced themselves to you and made you feel less alone. They invited you to be a part of something life-changing and lent their support to you. Now that you have been around a bit, perhaps you might consider asking a newcomer if they need a ride home or to the meeting. In 2018, consider making it a point to introduce yourself to a newcomer at every meeting you attend. Such a selfless resolution will have a positive effect on your program; you never know what will come from relationships you foster in the program.

Whatever you decide via resolutions, please be realistic about them and emphasize the importance of having one’s motives in the right place. If you do, it will have a positive effect on your life. All of us at 10 Acre Ranch would like to wish you and your loved ones a safe and sober New Year’s Eve and a productive 2018 in recovery.

Recovery Support This Christmas

Picture showing group of friends with Christmas presents on party at home

It’s Christmastime, and for those working a program of addiction recovery, it’s a time for extra vigilance. People who are working a Program must double their recovery efforts to ensure relapse isn’t a part of one’s holiday. This weekend may be the first sober Christmas for some of our readers; as a treatment provider, we’d be remiss for failing to share some helpful advice for making it through the holiday dry.

Truthfully, it really doesn’t matter how much sobriety time you have, important holidays can wreak havoc on anyone’s program. Being around friends and family for extended periods of time can be too much for some. Not having family in one’s life can be extremely difficult for others. Emotions run high this time of year, but that doesn’t mean we have to react to such feelings in unhealthy ways.

The program teaches us to live one day at a time, staying present is vital to the goal of lasting recovery. If we are having a rough day, we know that “this too shall pass;” we know that drinking alcohol or doing drugs will not help us feel better about our current situation. If malaise comes over you this Christmas, you know what you need to do—get to a meeting, share with the group, and call your sponsor.

Staying Close to Recovery Support

Programs of recovery are jeopardized during the high holidays, more times than not, because individuals do not have their finger on their recovery pulse. Some convince them self that their program is stronger than it is, and as a result, they decide to go to a holiday gathering. Once there, such people are usually OK for a little while, and then other party goers start offering them beverages. If one’s program is healthy, a simple “no thank you” should suffice. If a person’s Program is fragile, the temptation may prove too much.

Keep in mind, those in their first year can take part in holiday festivities, but preparations are in order. While the safest course is to stay close to your recovery support network this weekend, we know that some people will attend parties due to a sense of obligation. Please note, you don’t have to attend Christmas parties, rather than risk relapse just don’t go. If you feel you must go to a party, then maybe you can bring a friend who’s in the program. Have your phone charged so you can call someone in the program if you get shaky, such as your sponsor. Go to a meeting before the gathering, and one afterward; even if you don’t feel it’s necessary—go anyway. Better to be safe and sober, than drunk and sorry. If you are planning to go to a party, and you’ve discussed it with your sponsor and home group, here are a few tips:

  • Get a nonalcoholic beverage immediately upon arriving and keep it by your side at all times. People are less likely to pressure you to drink if they think you are already drinking.
  • If someone notices you are not drinking alcohol and inquires, simply inform them that you have to drive; everyone agrees DUIs are not worth the risk.
  • Have a way home from the party, either in your car or have somebody to pick you up. You never want to be beholden to another partygoer in these kinds of situations.
  • Again, if not going to the party better protects your sobriety, strongly reconsider not going to the party at all. If you don’t hang around the pool, you won’t get wet.

A Sober Christmas to All

Everyone working a program of recovery has a lot to be proud of, and you can use such feelings to empower your resolve. Our future depends on continued spiritual maintenance and practicing the principles of recovery in all our affairs. Take stock of the progress you have made, doing so may help you ward off the temptation to drink or drug this Christmas. A relapse-free holiday is the best Christmas present of all.

All of us at 10 Acre Ranch hope you have a sober and safe holiday and if a problem arises, remember, you are not alone.

Recovery: Newcomers Learn About Fun

photo of young people during an addiction treatment

When people contemplate the decision to seek addiction treatment and recovery, there are several false perceptions. Individuals have ideas in their mind about what they think recovery is, and perhaps more importantly—what it is not. Misconceptions keep people from beneficial pursuits; unfamiliarity is often a roadblock to recovery.

If much of a person’s life has been about substance use, it’s hard to imagine having a good time without drugs or alcohol. Thinking that fun is contingent upon substance use means that without drugs or alcohol there will be no enjoyment, logically. However, that is a faulty line of reasoning for the simple fact that fun can be experienced clean and sober. You only need to ask people working a program to find out that they’re not sticks-in-the-mud.

Walking into a meeting for the first time is usually an eye-opening experience. Newcomers witness the unexpected, people smiling without chemical encouragement. In the rooms, laughter is heard before, during, and after the meeting. People are happy to see one another, and plans are made to extend the socialization outside of the meeting hall. If you are new to the program, quickly you’ll come to understand that fun in recovery is more than possible. Fun in recovery is a requirement!

Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor In Recovery

Working a program of recovery is hard work; one must engage in significant reflection, processing, and spiritual maintenance. While working the Steps with a sponsor one has to confront aspects of one’s life that is troubling. Recovery lifts the curtain on your life revealing “your” part in the misfortunes that your disease brought you. An enormous effort to be sure, emotionally draining to the point of some newcomers leaving before the miracle happens. To put it another way, people were not ready, to be honest with themselves and others. Hopefully, such individuals find their way back to the rooms, sooner rather than later.

Newcomers who are willing to do whatever it takes to recover will learn the joy that comes with self-discovery. The process takes time, but it will be worth it, and that will become clear in short order. Along the way, you will develop lasting friendships with people who will be there when the going gets tough. Such people will be there during the rough times and, equally valuable, during the good times. When we get our house in order, we can enjoy ourselves; both inside the rooms and out. On page 132 of “The Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous, it states:

“But we aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life… We think cheerfulness and laughter make for usefulness. Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn’t we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others.”

The Promise of Recovery

Every day, people around the world committed to working a program find ways to enjoy themselves in recovery. Many of those people would probably tell you that they couldn’t ever imagine having sober-fun before recovery.

Life in the Program is not without difficulty, but it’s a balanced life. Rough weather always passes, and the sunshine always returns; because we manage our problems spiritually not chemically, today. If you are ready to experience the joys that accompany a program of recovery, please contact 10 Acre Ranch. We place great emphasis on showing you that fun in recovery is possible.

Good Days, and OK Days In Recovery

Depressed cheerless boy sitting in the chair with professional psychologist working in the background with people during psychological recovery group therapy session

Sponsee: How’re you today?
Sponsor: Well, thank you. There are only good days, and OK days in recovery.
Sponsee: No bad days?
Sponsor: Only in active addiction.

The above dialogue may seem inane. But, that doesn’t make it any less true. Anyone working a program knows first-hand how bad one’s days can be. Having lived for years, made up of a seemingly endless stream of bad days. You know what it was like forgoing food to pay for drugs and alcohol. You probably remember how hard it was to keep track of the lies you told, or the energy you expelled. It is hard work manipulating others to serve a disease that is trying kill you.

On the other hand, those who work a program live by a code of honesty. No matter what, even when it hurts, we are honest with ourselves and others. To live any other way almost always results in relapse. In active addiction, you were isolated. Cut off from your friends and family, connections that for most people are what’s most important. Today, you find yourself in the company of fellows working towards a common goal. That of living life on life’s terms. You find yourself “a part of” rather than “apart from.” A member of a fellowship who cares about you and your success in the life-saving journey of recovery.

Please do not read the above hypothetical discourse as meaning that there won’t be trials and tribulations in recovery. There will be. Although, as long as your recovery is intact you will be able to overcome such occurrences. And, in traversing hardship without using, your program grows stronger. Aided not by mind-altering substances, but by the spiritual connection you have with others in your support network (sponsor and recovery peers).

Overcoming Hardships In Recovery

If you find yourself having a hard day, faced with adversity, turning to your higher power for guidance is advised. If you are new to the program that might be a challenge. Until your connection with the spirit grows stronger, rely heavily on the wisdom and guidance of others in the program. Like the lighthouse on a foggy night, they will guide you back to the harbor.

One of the main reasons people working a program are able to succeed in achieving long term recovery, is fellowship. We are all in this together. Something worth being grateful for, to be sure. When having a tough day, never shy from reminding yourself how far you’ve come and that for which you’re grateful. If you are clean and sober today, you have a lot for which to be thankful. In early recovery, fresh out of treatment, life is not always going to be rainbows and unicorns.

Your recovery tools and skills acquired might only take you so far with a certain situation. The wisdom of others should always be welcomed. But, people can only help if you are open and honest about what you’re dealing with. If they do not know, how can they help. This requires that you to share with another or the group what’s going on. Rest assured, nine times out of 10, someone else has dealt with a similar situation.

The Journey of Recovery Starts With Treatment

Those of you still in active addiction may have found some of this post hard to believe or understand. Your life is likely one bad day after another, and the only relief you can find is drugs and alcohol. If you make the brave choice to seek recovery, you will see early on in treatment the importance of your peers. You will see how your connection with a higher power and others in the program can save you from yourself. Which is nothing short of a miracle given all of our histories.

Your journey begins with detox and/or addiction treatment. If you are a male ready to discover the miracles of addiction recovery, please contact 10 Acre Ranch today.

Addiction Recovery, Hope and Purpose

Friends funny dance on the beach under sunset sunlight

It’s nearly July already, and hopefully your summer is going smoothly. Perhaps you are finding yourself with some extra free time that will allow you to get outside a bit more than usual. One of the greatest parts about summers in Recovery is that you are afforded an opportunity to spend time with your higher power outdoors. Free from the constant noise of our technologically wired homes and apartments. Going to the beach or taking hikes with your addiction recovery peers is a wonderful opportunity to be grateful. I had one peer who was addicted to pornography from websites similar to https://www.nu-bay.com/ and he tells me getting away from technology has helped him in developing a healthier relationship between the two.

Even if you have not accrued years of clean and sober time, you are still able to appreciate the few gifts that recovery has afforded you. Just a couple months in the program can give you a new sense of purpose. Accompanied by the calm that comes from not having to worry about your next fix or drink. As you surely know, figuring out how you will afford your drug of choice or get away with it one more day is a great comfort.

In active addiction, we all spent an exorbitant amount of time and energy manipulating people and our surroundings. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, day in and day out. It could drive anyone to the brink of despair. An uphill battle that required all your attention and energy, just to wake up the next day and start the process all over. Perhaps over the course of your travels you came across Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sysiphus?” Even if you haven’t, one need only read the first paragraph to spot the lot of the addict and alcoholic in Sysiphus:

“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.”

Addiction Recovery is Hope and Purpose

While Camus’ short essay veers off into the theatre of philosophical absurdity, in the end Sisyphus finds himself happy with the task that the gods gave him. “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart.”

The illustration of pushing the boulder is apt. In many ways, active addiction is a futile endeavor towards self-destruction. There aren’t any merits to slow suicide. A repetitive series of actions that strips you of your identity and casts you down to a living underworld. At some point, you no longer have the strength to push the boulder of addiction. One must either pivot towards recovery, or else. Conversely, addiction recovery is a series of repetitive movements that allows one to move, slowly, into the sunshine of the spirit. At times, you may feel like daily meetings and coffee sessions with your sponsor are both tedious and mundane. But, like the addiction boulder, the recovery boulder must be elevated each day. The difference is that your recovery is not futile, and your actions have purpose—saving your life.

The point, albeit in a somewhat roundabout way (no pun intended), is that there are ways to break up the monotony, and actually strengthen your relationship with your higher power. After you get to your daily meetings, take some time to embrace nature and all that is the natural world. Each day, try making a point to elevate your program to new heights, through prayer and meditation, perhaps. By doing so, the days where you find yourself struggling, may be fewer and farther between.

Independence Day Recovery

Next Tuesday is the 4th of July. A day that can be difficult for those who are working a program of recovery. Especially those of you who are new. Please make a point of having a plan in place. Avoid risky situations that might precipitate relapse. There will be meetings every hour of the day, and there isn’t a reason why you can’t go to several. There is a good chance that recovery BBQs will be going on, too. Try to attend, it is possible to have a lot fun in recovery. We are not a glum lot. Whether you have 24 hours or 24 years, we at 10 Acre Ranch wish everyone in recovery, a safe and sober Independence Day.