When new clients arrive at TLC they are usually confused. They don't know why they have to go through an orientation period. They don't understand the guidelines. All of a sudden, they're in an environment of a group of strangers who are all attempting to achieve sobriety just as they are.
If it's their first time attempting to live sober, the program can be confusing. They don't understand that everything that occurs at TLC is about teaching them to live without drugs or alcohol. Each facet of the program has some connection to the process of living in recovery.
Finding employment is related to recovery. After all, how else is one going pay a service fee of $140.00 a week without a job of some kind? The majority of substance abusers don't know how to work because they come to us from prison. Or from living homeless on the streets. Or staying on Mom's sofa.
So learning to show up for work is something they must learn. We teach them how to dress and provide them with the clothing they need for work, if necessary. We teach them that they must put forth effort each hour they're on the job site if they want to be a good employee.
Another aspect of the program is the sobriety education they receive. They attend different types of 12-Step meetings the first 90 days they're in the program. They also attend two in-house meetings with their peers, both related to recovery.
After a week or two of them observing what their peers are doing to stay sober, they begin to get the idea. And if they simply do what their peers are doing, follow their lead, they'll be on the road to recovery.
And that's the beauty of a peer-drive program. If we follow the example of our sober peers we too will begin accumulating sober days, weeks, and months. If we really want the blessings of sobriety we can have them simply by mimicking our sober peers.
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