HARMONY GUIDES THE JOURNEY INTO RECOVERY AND HELPS YOU BEGIN THE HEALING PROCESS

          The road to Harmony actually began for me six years before the day I found my way to its doors. In 2001, my mother began saving money for treatment, fearing for my life, and the family had started researching possibilities for help, the “How To’s” of intervention, and on May 13, 2007, the window of opportunity arrived.

I awoke on that Mother’s Day, shaking (as usual) and needing to drink, and so, I did. When I began drinking at 15 I did not know it would lead to a 16 year journey, the last ten years as a daily drinker mixed with drug use, leaving me shaking in the morning, unable to get out of bed, frightened by the world, harming the ones I loved, and reliant on alcohol to function. So I drank all morning, until I drove to Mom’s house to meet my two sisters for pedicures.   Thus began the intervention; two courageous women confronting my disease, and then, my mother entered. And the four of us, with God’s guidance, quickly found ourselves on a new path.

My mom, having done much research, knew who to call – Harmony. Suddenly, I heard myself saying to a man (Leon, I think) on the phone, “If you don’t take me today, I’ll never come.” They had one bed available, so I packed a mysterious mixture of luggage in my drunken state, and we headed up the hill.

            When we arrived, my mother and I parked outside the Swickard building, and inside, a group of women had their arms around each other. I looked at my mom and said some expletive – “I can’t do this!” She looked at me and calmly replied, “One day, you’ll lead that group of women.” And off we went.

During my stay at Harmony, I was given the gift… of myself. The structure of the program, the staff, the environment, the work…unveiled the small spark within. I found purpose. Hope. Community. This seemingly small spark uncovered through the power of sharing, understanding, learning to be vulnerable, has grown into a much brighter light. 

After graduating I attended the Continuing Care program for six months. When they opened it up for all alumni for a lifetime, I returned and re-engaged in the program, and my recovery grew again. The group grew, and longer term sobriety alumni were offered the opportunity to become volunteer peer facilitators, and so I jumped at the chance. As others transitioned from treatment into real life recovery, it was a joy to share in the challenges and successes of a new life. And again, more was revealed about me, and my light grew.

Through the pain of addiction, Harmony revealed the possibilities for joy, acceptance, and growth, and facilitated the recovery a family. Most of all, Harmony has given me the gift of knowing within each of us lies a spark that can grow into a bright light, for each of us has divine purpose. Today, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work in the women’s program at Harmony as a Counseling Technician. Each day, I pull my car up and park next to the Swickard building and remember the conversation my mom and I had, the women, with their arms wrapped around each other; and I hear the chant we say at the end of every group, “Keep coming back, it works if you work it, and you’re worth it!” Let your light shine, JS