I had the opportunity to pick someone up and take them to treatment today. It's one of the many things we do here at 217 Recovery. The 217 Recovery Rides Program is an amazing part of what 217 Recovery is as a group. We have the podcast(fun news coming soon in this department!), the rides program(getting people to and from treatment and recovery services, safely), recovery meetings at the 217 Recovery Center, and us peer recovery coaches. Throw our media production(videos and such), monthly recovery community events, and the motto "having fun in recovery" into the mix and you get a pretty good mash-up of what we've got going on around here.
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Getting back to the start of this blog, I had a last-minute ride to take someone to treatment. I'm the backup driver here, so I don't get out on the road as much as Justin does. Today I was presented with the reminder of the part about having fun in recovery. The person I was with apologized for making a joke about a recovery experience and followed it with an explanation about how recovery is no joke and shouldn't be disrespected like that. It allowed me to share how having fun in recovery can be a major game changer. I personally know multiple people who didn't gain lasting success in long-term recovery until introducing a sense of humor and fun into the situation. It's been just as influential in my own recovery journey.
“Having fun is not a diversion from a successful life; it is the pathway to it.” — Martha N. Beck
I was in a weird spot in my recovery at about the two-year mark. It had been all about staying sober and rebuilding the life and relationships I had destroyed with addiction. Don't get me wrong, sobriety and rebuilding are major parts of most people's recovery journeys. A VERY IMPORTANT PART. But I was getting dulled by the constant seriousness of the program I was running myself. I see over and over people slip and relapse because of similar dull moments. It was when this dullness seemed to settle in that my Higher Power introduced me to the people who made me realize fun can change the game for anyone seeking relief from the monotonous suffering of addiction, of all kinds.
I'd like to wrap this up by reminding people to give themselves some grace and consider not taking yourself too seriously. The simple act of trying to stay positive and having some good clean fun can be a literal lifesaver.
Until next time.
