Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time,” and the phrase has been a key to recovery from my alcohol addiction.
In the beginning, I could not face a lifelong commitment to sobriety, but I could commit to another hour or even a day and that’s what I have tried to practice for more than 35 years. I also went to AA meetings, got treatment for depression and joined an evangelical Christian church, Fellowship Bible Church. I got well and lost interest in the short and stressful life of an addict. So far so good.
Twelve years ago my first grandchild, at age 16, almost died in a drug related automobile accident, and I decided to get serious about sharing my experience, strength and hope with those who needed it, including my grandchildren.
I retired from an advertising agency job to focus on developing One Day at a Time (ODAT), a non-profit company, and within a few months published the first issue of a free quarterly newspaper focusing on substance abuse and recovery and supported by advertising and donations. Its central theme, expressed on the front page, under the “One day at a time” logo, was to “present a message of hope and recovery to a nation in need.”
It became my passion, and I was qualified to make a go of it. After service in the Navy, I had spent 40 years in publishing, advertising and public relations jobs, some of them in New York City.
Our successful publication
My publication flourished, at least by my modest standards, and so did donations. Over its seven-year run we took in nearly $400,000 in ad revenue and charitable donations.
We distributed the free paper to prisons, schools, churches and hospitals (including veterans) as well as in racks at other locations, and we mailed it to a select list of readers mainly in the Little Rock area. Our press run peaked at 40,000 copies per issue.
The summer of 2011, I had surgery for colon cancer, which proved successful (its been five years), and took stock. I decided to discontinue the publication, mostly because of rising costs of printing and distribution and its limited coverage and focus instead on developing a web site and social media participation. My focus would remain on Little Rock, but the whole world could look on.
I also wrote a book, called it “Pathways to Serenity. Overcoming your addictions one day at a time” and put it on Amazon in paperback, digital and audio forms.
During my brief convalescence from surgery, I came to realize that the key to success in reducing drug abuse was not only “one day at a time” but also “one community at a time.” And it is in individual communities that I believe we must focus.
Individual communities these days are under siege from ISIS, ruthless drug lords and deranged individual killers. They dominate the news.
The precarious state of our communities is the subject of the book, “Bowling alone. The collapse and revival of the American Community” by Robert D. Putnam. Published in 2001 just before the fall of the Twin Towers in NYC, it suggests that America’s central problem consists of the disconnect among our citizens, our boiling political and racial divisions and our addictions to alcohol and other drugs.
Reconnecting
“Americans need to reconnect with one another,” Putnam says, “and a change in bowling from a major social event to a loner sport is an apt metaphor for the growing sense of alienation that is upon us.” There are two fundamental truths about us that author Putnam reminds us we must cultivate more aggressively–our community spirit and our faith in God—if we are to regain our footing.
Dr. John Townsend, a clinical psychologist, divinity school graduate, and author, says, “Recovery is not something you do by yourself. It’s all about relationships—both divine and human. People come to Celebrate Recovery and other 12 Step meetings because they connect. They come because they find light, and they live in darkness.”
Resources
Listed below are six fundamental resources and programs we recommend to address drug addiction in each community. Most communities do not have all of the resources within their municipal boundaries and will have to seek collaborations with adjacent communities to fill in the gaps. Here are the six:
1. Hospitals to treat mental health problems.
2. Treatment facilities specializing in drug addictions and offering detox services.
3. Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 Step programs like Narcotics Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous, and, for those living with an addict, Alanon.
4. Christian churches and other Christ-centered organizations (i.e. Salvation Army, Union Rescue Mission) offering addiction recovery programs including Celebrate Recovery. Little Rock’s Fellowship Bible Church (FBC), is an example. It has been proactively involved in addressing addiction problems beginning with “Born Free” more than 30 years ago.
5. Special programs focusing on teens, veterans and prison inmates, three populations which have higher than average substance abuse problems.
6. Law enforcement and prison systems that address the recidivism issue with programs which promote a faith-based and entrepreneurial approach to getting jobs.
Collaborations
Last year, I had preliminary conversations with another Little Rock non-profit, City Connections, about forming a joint organization to carry out our proposed community initiative. We have given it the working title of “The Roundtable,” evoking, as it does, positive feelings of compassion, steadfastness, courage, honor, chivalry and nobility.
Members of the proposed “Little Rock Roundtable” would represent Christian churches, hospitals, schools, businesses, prison systems, veterans groups, lawyers, legislators and others. Some will be in recovery themselves.
Our Mission
Our mission, ultimately, is to eliminate drug abuse in every community in America, and it will begin with Little Rock (including North Little Rock) one day at a time. It may take awhile. Our approach is to:
1. Further define and inventory available resources in Little Rock needed for recovery including medical, churches, AA and other 12 Step programs, law enforcement and additional programs for teens, vets, prison inmates and other vulnerable populations
2. Survey public opinion (local feelings about addressing the addiction problem and how to solve it) through available data and through polling.
3. Simultaneously begin to develop programs and resources needed for dealing with substance abuse problems.
Members of the roundtable will be men and women of faith with a special interest in helping people overcome their addictions to alcohol and other drugs.
ODAT’s Short Term Goals
1. Provide educational, cultural and life-changing initiatives for addicts, those on the path to recovery, families and friends of substance abusers, healthcare professionals and businesses.
2. Expand our website to offer more resources including listings of treatment and transition facilities, churches, employment opportunities, 12 Step meetings, books, education and employment opportunities and commentaries.
3. Further develop a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Linked-in, and others as they may emerge.
4. Revive and add to annual activities for prison and adolescent/college and veteran programs.
5. Work with legislators and begin to identify priority issues for a legislative agenda.
6. Seek financial support from donors, marketing programs and grants.
The world seems to be slipping into chaos, and strong communities can make a difference.
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