Tag: Long-Term Recovery

From Addiction to Hope: A Recovery Story Worth Sharing

The following is a message to individuals in need of recovery from a family member & friend of mine. Please share it with those who you feel may benefit from it so they can see there is hope for a better way. ~ Scarlett (SASSI Training Director)

“I know there are some very special people out there still struggling with addiction so I’m going to put this out there for you all to see.

I loved doing meth. And I am not going to rewrite my story and pretend that I did not. Meth made everything quiet. The pain, the fear, the memories, the shame. Meth gave me the energy to keep going when my entire life was falling apart. Until eventually, I was not getting high to feel good anymore. I was getting high because I did not know how to exist without meth or other drugs. My entire life revolved around them.

Where I was going to get them.

How I was going to pay for them.

Where I was going to sleep.

How long until I got sick.

How was I going to get more meth to get back up again (Already thinking about that before I even ran out ~ if you know, you know).

I lived in my car. I slept on sidewalks and trap house floors, and I was totally content with that ~ because it was normal, right?~.  I put myself in dangerous situations and let people treat me in ways I never thought I would tolerate. I even left the hospital while critically sick because getting high felt more important than staying alive.

That is ADDICTION!

Watching your entire life burn to the ground and still choosing the thing that lit the darn match.

But on January 5th, 2015, I stopped running. Recovery did not magically give me a beautiful life. I had to build one. I learned how to feel without getting high. How to survive bad days without destroying myself. How to love and be loved. How to become someone I actually wanted to be.

So to addicts from an addict, the woman who once slept on sidewalks and trap house floors now helps other women get sober.  I went back to school. I built a career. I built a life I never thought I would live long enough to have. And in 5 months I will have TWELVE YEARS clean. And of course, my GOD gets all the glory.

I loved meth for what it made me forget. For the billions and trillions of dopamines that it gave me and for the energy it gave me to get through my everyday life. Let’s not forget the 5am energy that it gave us to sort tiny little objects like paperclips, coins, or beads by shades of color or size for hours on end (we don’t ask why and we don’t judge over here). Meanwhile over there somehow, we have no energy to put back any of the 50,000 projects we’ve tore apart and started knowing we’ll never finish them (but hey, sounded like a good idea at the time) again ~ if you know, you know.

But I love who I am without it so very much more.

I see you, I love you, and I am rooting for you!”

Amy Jo Korvela Canfield

CelebrateRecovery.com

Finding the Path Forward: How Objective Screening Supports National Recovery Month

Every September, National Recovery Month serves as a vital reminder that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people do recover. Across schools, healthcare facilities, and justice systems, professionals work tirelessly to help individuals overcome substance use disorders. However, early detection and clear insight remain two of the biggest hurdles to starting that journey.

Identifying substance use issues early—and without bias—is critical to guiding individuals toward appropriate care.

The Role of Objective Assessment in Recovery

Recovery is never a one-size-fits-all process. Effective support relies on accurate, evidence-based tools that help practitioners see past defensiveness, denial, or fear.

  • Bypassing Resistance: Individuals who are hesitant to disclose substance use often minimize their symptoms. Standardized screening instruments provide objective data that helps clinicians start honest conversations.
  • Informing Targeted Interventions: By distinguishing between low or high probability of a substance use disorder, practitioners can route individuals to the exact level of care they need.
  • Supporting Early Identification: In settings like high schools, employee assistance programs (EAPs), and community corrections, identifying early warning signs allows for proactive help before crises escalate.

Moving Forward Together

National Recovery Month is a time to honor the resilience of individuals in recovery and recognize the dedication of the professionals who support them. Having the right tools in place ensures every individual gets a fair, accurate start on their path toward lasting health and independence.

Recovery Begins with Being Seen

Recovery is rarely a straight line, and it almost never starts in the same place for any two people. It begins in quiet moments—a decision to seek help, a conversation with someone who listens without judgment, or the realization that a different future is possible.

During National Recovery Month, we celebrate the courage it takes to step onto that path and honor the strength of those walking it every day.

  • Healing starts with understanding: Before treatment, coping strategies, or support networks can take root, an individual needs to be seen clearly and met right where they are.
  • Hope is a shared effort: Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation. It thrives in communities, families, and spaces where people feel supported rather than defined by their struggles.
  • Every step counts: Whether it is day one or year ten, every effort toward wellness and stability is a victory worth recognizing.

To anyone currently on the journey, supporting a loved one, or helping others find their way: recovery is real, it is achievable, and your story matters.

SASSI’s Latest Publication Focuses on Long Term Recovery

On January 19th of this year our latest manuscript was published in Social Behavior Research and Practice.  Examining Sustained Recovery from Substance Use Disorder — A Delicate Process discusses the various aspects and definitional terms involved in achieving sustained abstinence (Long-term recovery).  This article was submitted as the first in a series of manuscripts examining the recovery process; both from the perspective of the recovering individual, but also including persons within that individual’s personal and professional circles. Our goal is to achieve a holistic understanding of recovery as experienced and understood by recovering individuals, but in addition, to achieve a better understanding of what that recovery experience looks like from the perspective of those with direct access to the individual’s recovery sphere. We are actively seeking collaborations with substance use programs, outpatient clinics, halfway houses, and other venues where individuals undergoing their personal recovery experience may be residing or whose service they may be utilizing. We firmly believe in the adage that there can be “Nothing about us without us,” (Jürgens R., 2008). Please help us accomplish what promises to be an exciting and fruitful undertaking as we seek to quell the ongoing ravages of addiction in its many forms.

Jürgens R. (2008) “Nothing about us without us” – Greater, meaningful involvement of people who use illegal drugs: A public health, ethical, and human rights imperative.