Mainers celebrate the ‘fix’ of hope

Where do you go when you need a dose of hope?

I recently joined close to 80 people at Capitol Park in Augusta to celebrate recovery. Perhaps you saw me on TV with the others who were walking to proclaim that it’s possible to heal from alcohol and drug addiction. We were out there on Sunday morning, Sept. 25, to tell our fellow Maine residents that we either are or know one of the millions of Americans who live one day at a time in a recovery process.

The sun sparkled, a warm breeze blew and there was wonderful music and food and people of every kind. Residents from treatment centers joined visitors from distant states, and children whirled to the danceable music of a live band. Added together, the group was celebrating more than 250 years of successful recovery. Hope was surely present there, as were bright spirits and a lot of fun!

We need more of this. Amid worries over rising fuel and transportation costs, unemployment and health care problems, it is so easy to slide into a quagmire of daily conflicts and fears. We neglect to seek the “fix” of hope and good cheer needed by our flagging spirits and jaded minds. In truth, we need to find time each day to put aside our own dramas and make room for a different kind of story. “Oh yes, there is that, but there is also this,” we need to remind ourselves.

On Sept. 25, there was plenty of this. We basked in the warm glow that arises when people transform. We were individuals and families, community members and friends all touched by the light of recovery. Out of the darkness of alcohol- and drug-related illnesses beams recovery’s beacon: people talking about the miracles and celebrations that accompany such challenging efforts. It wasn’t just hope that was visible that day, but reality too. Hope conjures images of what “someday” might be like, but that Sunday we were in the living presence of what is.

When I began my own recovery more than 20 years ago – which felt like a living hell at the start – I met lots of people who had years of sobriety or clean time from alcohol and drugs. Many weren’t living in hell at all, and some had a clear kind of light in their eyes. I didn’t know what to make of it, but I listened carefully to what they shared within the support groups I attended. These people said again and again that life just keeps getting better in recovery, and that no matter which hardships present themselves, I could get through them far better without alcohol or drugs. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but when people asked me, “What do you have to lose?” I could find no good response.

As soon as I made the decision to pursue my own recovery, I became part of a larger movement. I got to sit in rooms where not only was hope tangible, but also the reality of what people were becoming as they healed. What a powerful gift that is! Outside of these places, I realized, co-workers and friends were not talking about recovery or striving for self-determination and growth in the same way. In early recovery, there is this strange split of two worlds that don’t seem to fit together at all – one the hidden world of therapy and peer support, the other the day-to-day world where most of us reside. Recovering people must learn to walk in both worlds while adopting a new lifestyle and making new friends who support their healing. Now, there is a real challenge!

On that Sunday in September, many of us were present as living proof of what is possible, some were there in hopeful anticipation of what they are becoming and others were just grateful that those they love are making it, day by day. How wonderful that we were there together, out in the open as Maine neighbors, steeped in gratitude, commitment and love! Now, there is one place where you can fill up on hope!

Regardless of where you are on your own journey, please plan to join us next September to celebrate the good news of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.

Debbie Dettor of Bangor serves as coordinator for the Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery.

Finding a Fix runs every Thursday in this space, presenting a variety of perspectives on the growing problem of substance abuse and addiction in Maine. In addition to submissions by professionals working in the field, we encourage readers to share their personal stories here, where they may provide information, comfort and support to others. Send submissions or comments about “Finding a Fix” by email to findingafix@bangordailynews.net., by mail to Finding A Fix, c/o Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor ME, 04402 or by phone to (207) 990-8111.