So I’m reading through the Recovery Month website and they are talking about events that celebrate recovery. I looked through the listing of events that have taken place over the years and I am impressed. It motivates me. I start thinking about having an event in my local area. But, I’m not so much for the celebrating as I am for the educating.
I have said all along that there isn’t enough information about the realities of alcoholism and almost no information about end-stage alcoholism. Oh yeah… we all know that it has horrifying effects on anyone even remotely involved with an alcoholic. We all know that people can and do recover. To the people who are in recovery or are at least attempting to recover – I give you a standing ovation.
But, there are people who will never reach recovery. I don’t have any facts and figures, but I would think there are more who will NOT recover than those who do. That’s sad and especially sad for the families.
If I were to help get an event off the ground, I would want to focus on how the family can survive during their loved ones end-stage of alcoholism. I would want to provide facts about the biological aspects and medical concerns.
I have planned dozens of corporate events, but I’m not sure how I would go about planning something like this. I’m not sure what type of event would be best suited for this area. I would have to do it on zero dollars which means finding lots of people willing to do stuff for free. In this economy that’s not likely.
Because we are new to the area, I don’t know a lot of people in the community and have no idea who would be willing to support the event. To further complicate matters, I do have a full time job and to plan such an event would be time-consuming.
So in the end, it feels that my motivation to plan an event is much like my power walk around the paddock. It’s a really wonderful idea that will not likely become a part of my reality.
On the other hand… I’m not a defeatist. I’m like our dog, Jade, who is on the hunt for the gopher that keeps eluding her on a daily basis. She is out there everyday trying to catch that gopher. She brings us moles and mice, but has not yet caught the big one. Jade is not a quitter. She has a goal. I have no doubt that she will succeed.
Like Jade, I will probably keep thinking about this and trying to figure out how I can reach my goal. Unlike Jade, I’m not sure I will succeed. I want to be a realist, but maybe I’m too much of an optimist. How about if I settle for optimistically realistic?
I would truly love feedback on how you think I might make an event a reality. What kind of event do you think it should be? And how would I fund it?
Great idea! As a former Event Planner, I'd jump right in with both feet and help if I lived near by. I'd try yo get topic ideas and funding options from health clinics, hospitals, doctors, family law offices, mental health counselors, maybe a shelter for the homeless, or local government money. I'd want to see topics like how the behavior affects the family dynamics, and how family members/spouses learn dysfunctional ways of handling life. I'd like to hear of the actual physical changes that chronic alcoholism causes, and how much physical and mental health can be regained, if any. I'd like to hear of options available to help families of alcoholics, whether in recovery or not; options. The Hazelden web site has a lot of good links/info. Does this help any?
ReplyDeleteThanks Ann!! I'll check out Hazelden. And, I'll check with my friends at the substance abuse counseling center. They mentioned before about teaming up to do something. --- Linda
ReplyDeleteHaving an Intro to Al-Anon at a local psychiatric institute is something that our district has been doing. It has helped the families of those who are in detox. Most just need to know that this is a disease and that alcoholism is a family illness. That would be a good start.
ReplyDeleteAs a Alcohol/Drug abuse counselor, your blog is a very interesting perspective. The education event is a great idea. I would suggest thinking outside the box. Find an undergrad/graduate student in the Mental Health Field/social sciences at one of the local universities. Ask for them to "volunteer" to assist you with this event. Same with the event planner. Just make sure if you do that you send them all a thank you letter detailing the event, what they did and the number of attendee's. it's a mutually beneficial agreement...just a thought
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