A bit of advice

I hate to call attention to the negative but something has to be said about all the "drama" I am hearing about around CVAB that gets in the way of all the positive: "Stop it."

I know this goes against the norm at CVAB but let me offer some advice:

• Take care of yourself and your business; you don't need to take care of other people's business.
• Quit talking about other people, a gossip is poison to a community; instead. talk with people.
• Look in the mirror, it isn't always the other person's problem, fault....
• Treat others as you want to be treated (the same goes for talking about others).
• To be treated as an adult, you have to act like one.
• Get involved in doing something positive at CVAB or in the greater Clark County community; you won't have time to dwell on the negative.
• Respect, Responsibility and Recovery; any other behaviors, actions or attitudes fall short when part of the CVAB community.

Each of us are responsible for our individual recovery. Let's get back to the positive.

It has been good....

Its been good to see so many of our CVAB community and many more from across the state at the conference. I am looking forward to hearing the great insights and knowledge shared in coming days and weeks.

What a Week....

We're going to have quite the week at CVAB. The Washington Behavioral Healthcare Conference is in town so we have a full agenda of visiting dignitaries, state and RSN employees and some out of town peers. In addition, there will be 30 or so of our CVAB community participating at the conference where we will have an exhibitors table, be involved in one presentation, and involved in some open meetings.

On top of all that, our regularly scheduled calendar of events....

I can't wait until next week.

What do you think?

I sit and watch the fish going about their busy community life and sometimes find myself identifying with different ones, or thinking that the behavior of a couple of them reminds me of a few folks I know, or just wondering how they sleep.

Other times I'm watching them but a million miles away in my head.

I'm just wondering what you think about when you watch them.

Hearing Voices

CVAB is a peaceful place when wondering through it in the morning, after hours or on Sunday. The amazing thing for me is when I pause in each section, I hear the voices, the laughter, the crying, the clicking of computer keys that make this place so alive. It's nice when it is quiet and I know some would prefer it be that way all the time....but CVAB is a community and with community comes the beautiful clutter of conversation, laughter, and the tappity tap of life.

So what do you think?

Below is the article from the cover of this month's edition of The Voice. What are your thoughts?

Choose

One of the key components to recovery is self-direction. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provided 10 Components of Recovery. Someone else was kind enough to give it to us in language that is clear and direct:

You as the consumer have the control to choose which path you would like to follow. You decide what steps you would like to take when you are ready to begin your own independent recovery process. You define the goals that you plan to achieve and the path you will take to get there.

“You decide….” These two words are powerfully dynamic equaling two others, “I am.” The freedom and ability to “be” and to “choose” are fundamental to who we are as humans. There are times when facing challenges to our mental health we lose hold of our ability to be and to choose.

The connection of being and choosing are illustrated by Viktor Frankl, who after experiencing the horrors of Nazi concentration camps writes:

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.

Though it may seem like a leap to suggest a few, if any, of us have had to endure experiences nearing the atrocities of concentration camps, it is less of a leap to suggest some of us have been stripped of all dignity and many, if not all, have faced the indignity of stigma, discrimination, unfair practices, uncertain futures, and even our ability to “be.” In the face of such challenges, you can choose your attitudes, you can choose your own way.

What does this have to do with recovery? Everything. It easy to be dissatisfied with the way things are. It is easy to be unhappy about life’s circumstances. It is easy to complain. It is easy to take the road that leads to little recovery because it is easy. On the other hand, you can choose the path to follow, the actions you will take, the goals you will achieve, the way you will celebrate achieving hard earned and well deserved success. The choice is yours.

Keeping Up!

It is difficult to keep up with all that is going on and neglect is what this blog experiences. How do I make this a bigger priority? Controversy might help...recovery-oriented of course............