“As a private practice addictions counselor, I refer many young people and parents…knowing they will be received with love and have a safe place to begin their recovery journey.  Alternative Peer Groups are a proven way to support folks in their recovery efforts… a great forum for young people to engage in support group meetings, education, family support, individual and family counseling, and sober social activities. All at NO CHARGE! What a blessing they are to our community!”

“I have witnessed these people continually go above and beyond the call of duty. In this day and age of so many good non profits it can be difficult to decide which to invest in. I have never doubted that the value of my dollars have become priceless when given to them. They take my money and transform it into a new way of life for a family and a future!”

“I have been a Client, volunteer, and employee. My first encounter was a shock – never had so many people love and accept me for ME… I was at my bottom in 1987 and they saved my life. Wish I could say I have been sober this whole time… I have fallen a few times but by God’s grace and my family in the program I have gotten back up and started living again. That’s what I have done in the program – I learned to live. They helped me see I am important. My children were raised in the program and don’t always make decisions like I would like them to … Thanks for being there when everyone had given up on me…”

“I started drinking and smoking at the young age of 12. At 14, I had my first overdose of many. Soon I was introduced to Rise Recovery…My parents were disappointed and I was a mess. When I opened the doors, I truly walked into the realm of recovery. I didn’t want to be there yet but everyone welcomed me with open arms. They all showed me love and tolerance. I couldn’t believe it – it HAD to be a scam! But to my genuine surprise, I was wrong. Teenagers from different schools and involved in totally different cliques were hanging out and having fun. They were a big, happy, crazy family. Even the counselors were excited to be sober! It was a world so diverse in itself. After attending and slowly becoming involved in meetings and activities, love and tolerance fell from my heart. With willingness, the help of the group and an amazing sponsor, I can proudly say I’m over a year sober. It was never easy and I’m glad life isn’t fair. I wouldn’t have the experience to help other teenagers like me. The best thing is being able to interact with one another while being raw and pure – clean and sober…I love it and I’ll keep coming back. Without Rise Recovery, I wouldn’t be alive today and I am thankful for the people who helped me get to where I am.”

Co-created by Michelli Ramon, Psychotherapist and Lea Ann Tinney, Reigstered Massage Therapist and CranioSacral Therapist

SOMATIC ReSTORYING  is a therapeutic process that incorporates wisdom and techniques from a variety of person-centered and body-centered therapies including Narrative Therapy, CranioSacral Therapy, Reikki and Felt Sense Focusing. It is designed to help people who have suffered from trauma and chronic emotional or physical pain.

Trauma disrupts the body’s natural rhythms and severs ties between important body systems. In response to trauma our bodies create patterns or STORIES that enable us to cope. These patterns are an important aspect of our survival. The challenge is that they sometimes weave themselves into our core dialog and often persist long after the painful experience has passed.

Somatic ReStorying (SR) assists us in discovering the NATURAL RYTHMS of our bodies.  Using guided meditation and grounding exercises, we learn to connect more deeply to our own INNER WISDOM. As we move through the SR process, this inner wisdom helps guide the uncovering of old stories and sensations in the body. With the assistance of a trained body worker and psychotherapist, we connect those body sensations with emotions and stories that reside in the psyche. The body worker’s role is to help shift energy and release tissue memory, while the therapist’s role is to help explore the meaning of the stories and the validity of the related emotions.

Guided by our natural healing abilities, we are EMPOWERED to re-story the trauma according to our present strengths and circumstances, moving out of the past and into the present. SR also addresses issues of polarity within our bodies by helping to balance existing energies and assimilate new information. This gives the body a feeling of equanimity, CALM and well-being. The benefit of using two practitioners is that one is listening to the body while the other is listening to words. Tending to two dynamics at once helps to bring the body and the psyche back into alignment.

Another aspect of SR healing is the participation in an SR group. In the group setting clients are asked to hold the space and become LISTENERS for one another. Through this process of listening, clients receive support for their own inner wisdom. As they learn to sense the somatic rhythms of other clients, they begin to understand their own boundaries, beginnings and endings more deeply. The feedback listeners receive from one another provides valuable information regarding their own perceptions, feelings, distortions and STRENGTHS.

These are some of the benefits of Somatic ReStorying:

• Learning to relate to your body in a new way
• Understanding how and where your body holds memories
• Understanding the power and presence of tissue memory
• Finding and releasing tension in the body connected to trauma
• Re-establishing lost connections with the body
• Being held in a community of fellow survivors
• Increasing self-awareness and affirmation of healing
• Moving into the present and no longer feeling stuck in the past

By Natalie Hope Mosqueda

Holidays are high relapse times for everyone. You’re bored, you see your old friends having fun online, it’s your tradition to get messed up every holiday, the list of excuses can grow infinitely. with the holiday season just around the corner, here are some tips on how I stay sober during the holiday season.

1. I double up on my meetings. Holidays are stressful for me so I need to work extra hard on my recovery program to keep myself in check.
2. Go to sober holiday events. Almost every recovery program has so many activities and events during the holidays. My thanksgiving always includes stopping in Rise Recovery and other recovery program’s meals.
3. Spend time with my family, but know it’s okay to leave early. I love my family, they are wonderful and amazing people, who can also drive me a little nuts. Today, I can cherish the time I spend with them, but also leave when I am ready.
4. Realize holidays aren’t as big as I make them out to be. It’s just another day to be grateful I woke up sober.
5. Take it easy on myself. I know holidays are hard for me, and I plan for it. I do more myself during the holidays and take each day at a time.