In 1989, then President George Bush gave his first major televised address to address the nation's growing drug crisis. Later that month, our founder opened the doors to Cornerstone of Recovery. As we've grown over the past 31 years, so too has the scourge of addiction. We still have work to do, and we're grateful to still be around to do it:
#drugandalcoholtreatment #addictiontreatment #drugandalcoholtreatmentcenter #alcoholismtreatment #31yearanniversary
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Cornerstone of Recovery: Celebrating 31 years of being true to our mission
Out of an abundance of precautions to protect patients and staff from exposure to COVID-19, we've limited the number of outside visitors to our campus. However, we understand that can make the decision to seek drug and alcohol treatment with us more difficult, when you're unable to see the facilities for yourself. That's why we've put together this virtual tour, so you can see who we are, what we do and where you can find a new way to live, free of the bondage of alcohol and drugs:
Remember: Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. The present is all we have, so live one day at a time!
#cornerstonestrong
Daily Reflections, Sept. 23
"He [Bill W.] said to me, gently and simply, 'Do you think that you are one of us?'" — Big Book, p. 413
During my drinking life I was convinced I was an exception. I thought I was beyond petty requirements and had the right to be excused. I never realized that the dark counterbalance of my attitude was the constant feeling that I did not "belong." At first, in A.A., I identified with others only as an alcoholic. What a wonderful awakening for me it has been to realize that, if human beings were doing the best they could, then so was I! All of the pains, confusions and joys they feel are not exceptional, but part of my life, just as much as anybody's.
#cornerstonestrong
As part of National Recovery Month, we're continuing to spotlight those who came to us for help, and have subsequently built a life beyond their wildest dreams in recovery from addiction and alcoholism. Daniel Burtch is one of those individuals, and today he comes to work, eagerly, at the same facility he once tried to leave before the miracle happened. But happen it did, and the work he does to help it happen for others is one of the reasons we're so honored to consider him part of our family.
#cornerstonestrong
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Recovering alcoholic Daniel Burtch helps those who follow in his footsteps
"Why me?," we sometimes ask. "Why not you?," our predecessors tell us. Life doesn't test us or challenge us with malice or ill-intent; life is just life. How we accept what we can't change and change what we can — as well as the wisdom to know the difference — dictates our level of serenity.
#cornerstonestrong
Keep It Simple, Oct. 11
"May you live all the days of your life." — Jonathan Swift
The truth is, life hard. Accepting this fact will make it easier. Remember how well it worked in Step One? Once we admitted and that we were powerless over alcohol and other drugs, we were given the power to recover. It works the same with life’s problems.
We can spend a lot of energy trying to avoid life’s hardships. But our program teaches us to use the same energy to solve our problems. Problems are chances to better ourselves and become more spiritual. We have a choice: we can either use our energy to avoid problems, or we can face them. When we stop wasting energy, we start to feel more sure of ourselves.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, life is to be lived, both the easy and the hard parts. Help me face and learn from it all.
Action for the Day: I’ll work at not complaining about how hard life is. I’ll take the same energy and us it to solve problems I may face.
#cornerstonestrong
Let's talk about Medication Assisted Treatment — M.A.T. It's a sensitive subject in recovery circles, and as a drug and alcohol treatment center, we're often asked what our philosophy is. We're an abstinence-based facility, but at Cornerstone, we keep our focus on what we do. We believe there are no wrong doors to getting clean and sober, but we absolutely believe that our door is the best one. After all, it's been working well for 31 years now. Here's a link to a broad and comprehensive array of articles about M.A.T. that may shed some light on what it is and how we implement it at our facilities:
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What Is M.A.T Treatment? Everything You Should Know - Medication Assisted Treatment - Addiction Treatment Center Cornerstone of Recovery
Many times, we become frustrated with the way we feel, especially if we think we should "know" better. Recovery doesn't mean we won't feel negative emotions — it simply means we can allow ourselves to feel them, process them and let them go.
#cornerstonestrong
Polysubstance abuse: The addiction to multiple drugs can be a complication when it comes to Medication Assisted Treatment. M.A.T. has a place in addiction recovery, but it's not a one-size-fits-all solution to those who abuse both opioids and cocaine, for example. That's one reason why a carefully thought-out approach to M.A.T., like what we offer at Cornerstone of Recovery, is crucial to helping addicts get clean and sober from all substances:
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The complications and risk factors of M.A.T. and polysubstance abuse
If we're attempting to force the solution, we're likely not in our Higher Power's will!
#cornerstonestrong
Over on our sister blog, The Ties That Bind Us, we're chatting with singer-songwriter Anjimile this week, who's journey out of addiction has brought with it gifts of music — their critically acclaimed new album, "Giver Taker," for example — but more importantly, gifts of the spirit. Read their incredibly inspiring interview with us:
THETIESTHATBINDUS.ORG
Sober singer-songwriter Anjimile crafts a work of beauty on 'Giver Taker'
This, friends.
This explains why those of us in recovery can tap into vast reservoirs of serenity, even during times of strife and turmoil. For because of the constant taste of ashes in our mouths when we drank and used ourselves to near death, we now know how sweet life is, even when challenges arise. We have had our fill of bitter. This beautiful life in sobriety, regardless of whatever pain we might feel along the way, is sweet indeed.
#cornerstonestrong
What do you get when you combine annual holiday stress with COVID-19 and being in recovery? A whole lot of discomfort, sometimes. The holidays can seem especially hard for those of us in addiction recovery, but it's important to remember: We're not alone, and there are things we can do to get into the solution.
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'Tis the season for perseverance: Why are the holidays so hard?
What "gifts" are you grateful for today, friends?
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Keep It Simple, Nov. 23
"Let me listen to me and not to them." — Gertrude Stein
Often we try to please everyone around us. But this may not make us happy, and so we get angry. We feel taken advantage of. We may be kind to others, but first we must love ourselves. How? By learning to listen to ourselves. To our dreams. To our higher power. By doing this we’ll be more happy. And those around us will probably be more happy too. As our AA medallions say, “To Thine Own Self Be True.”
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll listen to that gentle, loving voice inside me. Higher Power, help me make me make my “conscious contact” with You better.
Action for the Day: I will write down why I need to be true to myself.
#cornerstonestrong
If you're a fan of classic era Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, then you know his work. Ricky Byrd Recovery Troubadour is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has played alongside some of the genre's greats and is also a recovering addict with more than 30 years of sobriety under his belt. Over on our sister blog The Ties That Bind Us, he shared his story with us this week, and we're honored to present another rock 'n' roll icon whose found serenity on the other side of darkness. Check it out:
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Guitarist Ricky Byrd unveils a soundtrack for some 'Sobering Times'
Don't voluntarily surrender the strength you have today over the things you cannot change!
#cornerstonestrong
Addiction looks like all of us ... but so does recovery. At Cornerstone of Recovery, we meet you where you are, because we've been where you are. The majority of our clinical staff members are in recovery themselves, and drawing on our 30-plus years of tradition, along with a broad array of evidence-based psychological and educational tools, they can help you stop using or drinking ... lose the desire to do so ... and find a new way to live. Reach out to us today at 1-866-631-5209.
Daily Reflections, Feb. 8: "Convincing 'Mr. Hyde'"
"Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy will still elude us. That's the place so many of us A.A. oldsters have come to. And it's a hell of a spot, literally. How shall our unconscious--from which so many of our fears, compulsions and phony aspirations still stream--be brought into line with what we actually believe, know and want! How to convince our dumb, raging and hidden 'Mr. Hyde' becomes our main task." — The Best of Bill, pgs. 42-43
Regular attendance at meetings, service and helping others is the recipe that many have tried and found to be successful. Whenever I stray from these basic principles, my old habits resurface and my old self also comes back with all its fears and defects. The ultimate goal of each A.A. member is permanent sobriety, achieved One Day at a Time.
#cornerstonestrong
Father Leo's Daily Meditation, Feb. 7: "Childlike"
"In every child who is born, under
no matter what circumstances,
and of no matter what parents, the
potentiality of the human race is
born again."
— James Agee
Today I am able to believe and see the God-given dignity of the human race in the faces and lifestyles of others. In the challenge and rebelliousness of youth is the hope for tomorrow.
Today I can associate myself with the need to question, risk and "be outrageous." Today I can play, laugh at myself and own my craziness. Today I do not need to be perfect.
When I used drugs, I was so judgmental, serious and controlling. Everything had to have a place, or an answer, or be acceptable to others. My moments of guilt were caused by my inability to please others.
Today I can be childlike and identify with the radical message for tomorrow: "to thine own self be true!"
I see a child looking at the stars and I smile; I am that child.
#cornerstonestrong
“For people with AUD, the brain takes a long time to normalize, and each day is going to be a struggle,” said Rajita Sinha, the Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry and professor in the Child Study Center, professor of neuroscience and senior author of the study. “For these people, it really is ‘one day at a time.’”
Thanks, Yale University, for spotlighting what's been a 12 Step mantra for almost a century now!
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Why ‘one day at a time’ works for recovering alcoholics
According to the CDC, excessive alcohol use is responsible for 95,000 deaths every year. While sobriety is available to anyone who chooses it, there are those who, sadly, do not. Say a prayer for them this Sunday, friends.
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Daily Reflections, Feb. 6: "A Rallying Point"
"Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic, atheist, or former believer, we can stand together on this Step." — Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 33
I feel that A.A. is a God-inspired program and that God is at every A.A. meeting. I see, believe, and have come to know that A.A. works, because I have stayed sober today. I am turning my life over to A.A. and to God by going to an A.A. meeting. If God is in my heart and He speaks to me through other people, then I must be a channel of God to other people. I should seek to do His will by living spiritual principles and my reward will be sanity and emotional sobriety.
#cornerstonestrong
