Saving Lives in Drug Rehab
March 14th, 2007 by Terry Keith
Yesterday was one of those days that make everything worth while. During a walk through of our drug and alcohol rehab facility, a young gal came up and asked if I was the owner? I replied that I was one of several people involved and what could I help her with? She smiled one of the largest smiles I have seen in quite some time, and said, thank you for saving my life!
I thanked her and reminded her that she saved her own life. She made the decision to come to a program, and she decided to work very hard at it. We provided a role in giving her a safe place and some good structure to work with, however she saved her own life. The most gratifying part was her smile. I hazard a guess that while she was using drugs and alcohol she hadn't smiled like that in a long long time. I can imagine the joy in her family when they reunite and they see that wonderful smile again.
In the alcohol and drug rehab field there are a lot of tough days. Clients want to leave early before they are ready and you have to do eveything in your power to convince them to stay a few more days. Some clients come to rehab to avoid going to jail, but really don't want to be there, and they let everyone know it. However, smiles like the one I saw yesterday make it all worth while. When someone saves their own life, it is truly a great day.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 at 6:44 am and is filed under Drug Rehab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
March 20th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I really enjoyed your article titled “Saving Lives in Drug Rehab”. I also work in the field of drug treatment and share those same great feelings when I see someone get their life back. That is the key……giving them their life back and not putting them as a slave to something else (like meetings or other medicines, etc.).
When I see the clients beaming with new found knowledge and happiness it makes it all worth the while as I know how hard they worked to get there.
At Narconon Vista Bay , we also believe in long term treatment, fresh fruit and vegetables, and giving the power back to the individual.
Thank you for being an ally in this fight against drug and alcohol addiction. It is uplifting to know that you are out there and helping save lives too.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:19 am
Heidi…
…A drug and alcohol rehab center can be just as beneficial in your local area as one that is privately funding quite on the other side of the country……