A Testimonial

In an aftercare group a few days ago I heard good things about our program. The woman sharing had been gone for several years and returned to TLC after a relapse. She relapsed after some four years sober, violated probation, and returned to jail. Even though she was from another state and encountered resistance from probation and court authorities, she insisted on coming back. She told the group that her time at TLC was the happiest she'd been and that she stayed sober for a few years after graduating.

Because we encounter negativity from clients who resist recovery – even though they brought themselves here –  it's refreshing to hear testimonials. Even though I believe we do a good job with most clients, unsolicited testimonials validate what we do. A theme among returning clients after a relapse is that no matter what they went through in the program they realize their best chance for recovery is to return. For TLC is where they had the most success in recovery. The simple truth is that clients pay us to provide restrictions on their behavior and guidelines for recovery. While we’re not a treatment program, many clients get long-term practice at living sober – which is what it's about.

A great point the woman brought up in the group was the things we ask clients to do here at TLC are no different than what the ordinary citizen does in the real world. All we ask clients to do is be responsible. This means finding work, staying clean and sober, taking care of their personal space in the program and treating others with respect. And of course this is the crux of the matter: many of our clients have been irresponsible for much of their lives because of drug addiction and alcoholism. 

And once the alcohol and drugs are removed we have to teach clients that living sober is being responsible for ourselves – a tough concept for many of us if we don't have a commitment to sobriety.