Lifetime Achievement Award Interview with Anne Shallenberger

How did you react when you found out you won The Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award?

There just seemed to be so many people, so to be singled out – it took me aback. I have always worked in the background. When I first came in to AA a woman came to my hospital room. I was hospitalized because I’d quit drinking cold turkey. There were a rough couple of days, and I was hospitalized. Ann Hoy came to my hospital room. She was a friend of a friend of a friend and she came to see me. She took me under her wing and took me to my first AA Meeting outside the hospital. She guided me to The Council. At the time, it was a ground floor office with two rooms and just a handful of employees.

What did it mean to you to have someone you didn’t even know come to support you?

Oh, it meant the world to me. Here I was embarking on this new life, this new lifestyle. To have somebody there to guide you…she guided me to The Council. She said, “The only way to keep something is to give it away” So, that’s been my credo that I’ve gone forward with.

That is profound. Is that what initially attracted you to serving at The Council?

Absolutely. At that time, we started volunteering to do this and do that – book sales and workshops. There were all kinds of activities to volunteer for. Also, all of my life I had been saying, “Does anybody need a piano player?” And they needed a piano player! So that worked out well.

You’ve had more than 35 years of service to The Council and the impact of what you have accomplished is truly extraordinary. What advice do you have for other individuals that are in service?

Keep it up! It’s such a worthwhile cause. There are families that are torn apart by this disease. It is like knitting families back together, whichever member happens to be in need of The Council’s services. And there are so many things that The Council offers to everybody: the family, the person who is suffering from addiction. It’s a win-win.

One of your many contributions to The Council’s recovery community was your role in starting and overseeing the Noon 12-Step Meeting at Jackson Hill.

Oh, not I alone. Really, I think it was several friends and other board members. We decided that it would be great to have a noon meeting. So it was I that volunteered to be the treasurer and take the Monday meetings. It just rolled along, everything was just great for about nine years. I collected the money, and kept up with the rent and quarterly donations to the General Service Office and Intergroup. I had also been the treasurer of the Post Oak Club back in my infancy. I would collect the money from the Post Oak Club, bring it home to count, and then deposit it in the bank. But in the interim I thought, “Oh my God! I can’t keep all this money around!” So, I put it in my extra clothes hamper. And that’s exactly where I used to put the overage of my liquor! I thought to myself at the time, “I used to keep my liquor in here and now I keep money from the AA meetings. Oh dear!” (Laughs.)

One of your most remarkable and lasting contributions to The Council is your role in helping to start the luncheon series. You’ve shared before that when the luncheon began you were charging $50 per ticket, which was considered very expensive at the time.

I remember Claudine Henderson was the wonderful president and director of The Council. When we told her we wanted to have a fundraising luncheon, she hadn’t heard of anything like it. I think it was in the 1980’s that most of these fundraising luncheons started that continue as we know them today, charging a good amount for a ticket. Until that time, all anybody had been doing was having $10 spaghetti dinners, so it was a new concept. I remember Claudine saying, “Do you think anybody is going to pay $50 for a lunch?” So, we were thrilled when we got 300 people or so.

Today, our luncheons attract about 1,000 people per event. What has it been like to watch the luncheons evolve? Could you have ever envisioned such a change?

Never. Never in our wildest dreams. We just thought The Council needed some extra funds, and was not getting enough to do what we wanted to do. So, we thought, “Well, let’s do something!” It started there. It’s been a ride.

We’ve talked about some of your notable contributions: you helped launch our luncheons, have served on various boards, helped start the Noon 12-Step Jackson Hill meeting, and oversaw our capital campaign just to name a few. In all the work you’ve done, is there anything that stands out as your favorite?

Oh gee. They’re all my favorite! Incidentally, when we decided to launch the campaign – I think that was in 1995 – I had just been voted onto the board of the McCullough Foundation, thanks to my brother. The McCullough Foundation was not started by my parents, but my aunt and uncle. So I thought, “Isn’t this wonderful? That I now have this resource available, because I don’t personally have the funds, but I can do this. It just happened. (Points upward) Thank you!

You shared that when you first came to The Council it was a two room office with just a handful of employees. So much has changed over the years. What do you think has been the biggest change in treating addiction? What does the landscape of recovery look like today?

Well, I think it has evolved into treating all facets of recovery from the sufferer itself to the family. It is so important to have treatment for everyone, because it completely changes the life of the family or even the relationship between a husband and wife. There are so many adjustments. All the things families suffer on account of addiction and the addicted person have to be shored up and pointed in a new direction.

Do you feel like there has been a change in the way the community responds to addiction?

Oh I think by all means, addiction and treatment has been accepted by the majority of the public. It had some growing pains in its infancy. Over the years it has been so hush-hush up until probably the 1970’s or 1980’s. People became more open minded about recovery and addressing it.

Do you have any hopes for The Council for the future?

I hope The Council keeps doing what it’s doing. It’s been wonderful what The Council has done under the direction of Mel. He’s been great. I’m so glad he’s in charge.

You hired him! You were on the board that helped hire him. Tell me about that.

I ran against him! Well – briefly. I had a notion that “Oh, I think I can do it,” but I was dissuaded by my friend and mentor! I thought I better just stick with piano and bookkeeping.

 

What do you think is next for The Council? What do you see in our future?

Nothing but grandness. I think that there are so many avenues to explore in recovery, the sufferer – the one who is seeking recovery – and the family members and friends and associates. I think that the word has really gotten out in the last 20 years to friends and family about recovery. They understand. At first, it was a little bit rough.

What would you say to the people that don’t understand?

Well I think everybody is addicted to something or other. I think you can draw a correlation. I think it’s human nature. It’s something you like and it makes you feel good and you do it some more.

One of the things I’ve heard you mention several times today was family. It’s an important topic, and certainly at The Council we have a family focus.

Well you know, the family is such a close knit group. When one piece is taken out or put back in, it’s confusing. There is conflict. That’s why there are so many divorces after somebody decides to sober up, because it’s not the same person. It’s not the same relationship. The spouse of an alcoholic has learned to manipulate that person because of the alcoholism, and when that is taken out and things are above board – it totally changes. And then the poor children. I grew up as a child of two raging alcoholics. That’s how they operated their lives. My father had a clock in the family room that had all fives on it, so it was always five after five. Both my mother and father were alcoholics till the day they died, so I thought nothing of their lifestyle. They would get together with their friends and meet at the house and have drinks, and then go out and “terrorize” a restaurant, and then come back for the proverbial night cap. That was just the lifestyle, so of course I thought everybody lived like that.

Is there any kind of message that you would share with people that are actively affected by addiction and are trying to face this disease?

Well, I don’t know what message I would send them except: think about how it all plays out. People in that posture can’t see or even look for the light at the end of the tunnel. I just wish them well and hope they will find recovery. Because it is so much more than abstaining from your drug of choice. It’s building a new life. It’s touching into one’s value system. It was the first time for me. It will make you realize what’s really important.

As you are sharing all of these reflections with me, I can’t help but think about how important one person can be. You are only one person, yet you have made a profound impact. And your story began with Ann, and her impact, which in turn rippled down to you.

There are just so many of us. It’s not just one person. I don’t know, it’s the spirt. It’s contagious. You could say, “Oh yeah, let’s do that!” And then we would find out it can be done, so you do it again.

Is there anything else you think is important for people to know?

There’s nothing more dramatic than just thinking of one day at a time. In everything. One day at a time. That’s all we have.

Youth-Inspired Film Sparks New Conversations About Mental Illness

Angst MovieIndieFlix documentary and panel discussion to spur dialogue about the state of youth mental health in Houston.

On Thursday, April 12th, the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston in collaboration with Advocates of Healthy Minds, The Council on Recovery, Fusion Academy and the Peace of Mind Foundation, will hold a special screening of the new IndieFlix Original documentary, “Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety,” at The Council on Recovery (303 Jackson Hill Street, 77007) as an opportunity to create a dialogue between local families, community leaders and experts about the state of youth mental health in our area.

The event, scheduled from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, will feature a viewing of the 56-minute film that tells the stories of kids and teens who discuss their anxiety and its impacts on their lives and relationships, and how they have found solutions and hope. The film also provides discussions with mental health experts about the causes of anxiety and its sociological effects, along with the help, resources and tools available to address the condition.

Following the film, a panel discussion with behavioral health experts, Elizabeth McIngvale, Ph.D, founder of the Peace of Mind Foundation and Sam Scharff, LPC, LCDC with The Council on Recovery and Fusion Academy student, Parker Lewish will highlight the evening.

“Anxiety disorders are real and treatable,” said Janet Pozmantier, M.S., LPC, LMFT, RPT, director of the Center for School Behavioral Health at Mental Health America of Greater Houston. “Getting young people preventative care, treatment and tools to cope is crucial to helping them to not only feel better, but to have a greater chance of having success in life. It’s time to start the conversation in our homes, our schools and our communities.”

One in every five youth meet the criteria for having a lifetime mental disorder that can cause severe impairment or distress. Studies also show that substance use or dependence is the most commonly diagnosed health concerns for young people, followed by anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health challenge in the U.S., impacting 54 percent of females and 46 percent of males, with age seven being the median age of onset, according to the World Health Organization. While anxiety disorders are highly treatable, only one-third of those suffering receive treatment. Everyone involved in the development of “Angst” has a personal experience with anxiety – from the producers to the interviewees.

Free and low-cost tickets are available here.  The screening is appropriate for students, families, advocates and community members interested in learning about preventing and addressing mental health concerns including anxiety, depression and suicide. “Angst” screens in schools and communities across the world and is expected to reach more than three million people around the world, through 25,000 community and school screenings.

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 26

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 26 of a series dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction from a Mystical, Mythological Perspective, reflecting Bob’s scholarly work as a Ph.D. in mythological studies.

In 1773, a curate of the Church of England based in Buckinghamshire, named John Newton, wrote Amazing Grace, a spiritual hymn that is widely recognized as one of the most powerful in the World. Newton wrote this in his 48th year, but his earlier life was anything but spiritual.  He spent much of this 20’s and 30’s in virtually all aspects of the slave trade, from capture and acquisition in the interior of Africa through distribution and sales in colonial America and elsewhere.  He was also known as a uniquely rough and profane man to those who met him.

A series of events in his 30’s resulted in a profound conversion and he became a well regarded minister of the Church.  The primary words of the song are magical:

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found.
T’was blind but now I see.

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Grace can be defined, as per Webster, as “the favor of God,” or a “divine assistance for regeneration.”  Every time I hear this song it strikes my heart as what the process of recovery has meant to me.  For once I accepted that there was a higher power to whom I could turn over my life and be guided in my everyday activities, the fears that had ruled my life from first consciousness became manageable.

Many of us have had alcohol and addiction bottoms of horrendous magnitude, truly evil actions and intentions stretched over decades.  But think about the activities in which Newton must have trafficked…capturing whole families from ancient communities, transporting them in chains and deplorable conditions halfway around the world, and then selling them to slave masters to be used as chattel for the rest of their lives. How hard must that heart have been to make such decisions…and how beautiful that he could have been so thoroughly relieved of such a dark mantle of human depravity through the gift of grace.

…and how wonderful is it that all of us could have been blessed with the same gift of grace….

Recovery Coaches Help Guide the Way to Lasting Sobriety

Recovery Coach 1Even after thirty days in residential rehab or a couple months in intensive outpatient treatment, most newly sober alcoholics and addicts still find it difficult to sustain their sobriety without help. A recovery coach can play a vital role in providing that help, creating a close relationship with the newly sober peer to guide them onto the path of long-term sobriety.

Empathy, experience and empowerment are essential qualities for a recovery coach to possess, and are necessary qualifications for doing the job successfully. The recovery coach supports and guides an individual who has the desire to start or has already begun their journey to recovery.

Recovery coaches receive 46-hours of intensive training at The Council on Recovery and are certified providers, but the role of a recovery coach can often be difficult to define or differentiate from other recovery specialists. Coaches can be role models, resource brokers, support systems, spiritual guides, financial coaches and much more. It is important to note, however, that, while recovery coaches can be many things, they are not licensed clinicians or doctors.

Recovery coaches are ideally in recovery themselves, so they have the shared experience necessary to help individuals battling addiction. They freely share the “recovery capital” they have personally accumulated which includes the same internal and external assets or resources necessary for an individual to obtain and sustain recovery.

By closely assisting individuals in discovering their own personal recovery capital, recovery coaches instill a sense of hope, relationship with a higher power, skills, goals, and self-efficacy. Recovery coaches work as “peers” in recovery helping the newly sober create connections with the recovery community or support groups, social and family networks, jobs, education and housing. Obtaining and improving recovery is a vital component when working with peers in recovery.

Because of the close nature of the relationship between recovery coaches and the people with whom they work, they can empower, encourage, and praise their peers, while helping them set goals and stay motivated to achieve them. This close relationship, however, has some clearly defined personal and ethical boundaries that must be maintained by the recovery coaches in the interests of all parties.

Recovery Coaches are not therapists, counselors, clinicians, or doctors and they do not engage in the diagnosis or treatment of addiction. While they can encourage their peers to attend Twelve Step meetings and read recovery-oriented literature, recovery coaches do not dictate peer behaviors or assign tasks outside the purview of accepted recovery activities. Under no circumstances are recovery coaches supposed to give or lend money to their peers, nor provide food, housing or other resources. They can, however, guide their peers to community resources and social welfare organizations that may be able to help.

In the following interview, Cynthia Branch, Recovery Support Services Coordinator and Recovery Coach Trainer at The Council on Recovery, shed light upon what it means to be a recovery coach.

Q: In your own words, what is a recovery coach?
A: A recovery coach is a person with lived experience of an addiction to substances, alcohol or anything that alters the mind. We help, encourage and empower individuals who want to change their lives and stop using. Coaches are relatable to them, so what we say holds more depth and weight because we have been there, done that. We also help them navigate systems. Recovery coaches are resource brokers meaning we provide individuals with resource referrals.

Q: What are the key differences between a recovery coach and clinicians or sponsors?
A: To my knowledge, clinicians focus on the past and what happened, while acutely getting them to stop using. Sponsors focus on the twelve steps and total abstinence. Recovery coaches meet individuals where they are and are able to assist them on their chosen path to recovery.

Q: Do you have to be in recovery to become a recovery coach?
A: Ideally, yes.

Q: When do you think it is important for a peer to begin working with a recovery coach?
A: Whenever the peers are ready.

Q: How long do peers work with their recovery coaches?
A: It can last up to five years, but with different programs and entities it may be 2-3 years.

Q: What are some challenges that a coach may encounter with their peer?
A: Housing, transportation and beds for treatment.

Q: What advice would you give someone who is interested in becoming a coach?
A: Remain open-minded. Everyone’s path is different. Who am I to negate what works and doesn’t work for someone?

Q: Are recovery coaches possible for individuals with financial concerns?
A: Yes. We are also resource brokers, so we are always able to point them in the right different. Some of us have been trained as financial coaches as well.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a recovery coach, The Council on Recovery offers a 46-hour training program, which provides a comprehensive overview of the purpose and roles of Recovery Coaching while giving participants the tools and resources necessary to provide recovery support services to their peers. Addiction is a dark place, but there are ways out. As a recovery coach, you will know how to support and guide your peers on their path to recovery. Join us and help save lives.

The next upcoming training program is July 11-13, 16, & 17. Visit our website for information and how to apply.

This guest blog post was written by Tyler Odom, Marketing & Communications Intern at The Council. She is currently a senior at the University of Houston.

The Council on Recovery Receives Grant from Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

 

GRB Shelter 2

The Council on Recovery is pleased to announce that it has received a $375,000 grant from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to provide additional services to hurricane victims. The Fund was established by Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, and is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation. The Council was one of only 27 non-profit organizations to share in the fourth round of grants totaling $42.3 million. The Council will use the funds to provide support for individuals and families by affected substance abuse and mental health disorders who are still struggling to recover more than six months after the hurricane hit the coast of Texas.

In the aftermath of the storm, The Council was among the mental health “First Responders”, deploying dozens of its counselors to the mass shelters at the George R. Brown Convention Center and the NRG Center. It was also instrumental in arranging Twelve Step meetings for residents in those facilities.

“Since the hurricane, we’ve continuously provided help to both flood victims and those whose lives were disrupted by the storm,” says Mel Taylor, President & CEO of The Council. “The trauma people experienced precipitated or compounded many addiction and mental health issues that we still deal with every day,” Taylor says, “This funding will allow us to remain the starting point for people who need help.”

The Council on Recovery will provide direct services across its broad spectrum of behavioral health and substance abuse programs to individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey. Services such as assessment, evaluation, intensive education, clinical treatment, case management, and recovery support will be expanded beyond current capacity.

“Our slogan is ‘You Know Someone Who Needs Us’,” Taylor says, “and Hurricane Harvey amplified that message across the Houston area. Thanks to the generous grant from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, we’ll continue to meet the vital needs of our community with commitment and compassion.”

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 25

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 25 of a series dealing with Alcoholism and Addiction from a Mystical, Mythological Perspective, reflecting Bob’s scholarly work as a Ph.D. in mythological studies.

There is an Old English tale called Beowulf, set in the Early Middle Ages in Scandanavia.  It is a mythic story about a warrior of that name, called to help the Danish king Hrothgar whose palace is under attack by the monster Grendel.  Beowulf image for Bob Wagner post 25Beowulf defeats Grendel in an epic battle using only his bare hands. There is much rejoicing and celebration, but soon Grendel’s Mother hears of the death of her son and attacks the castle. This monster is much more powerful than Grendel, but, in an even more difficult battle, Beowulf finally defeats her and saves Hrothgar’s kingdom.

In this story, I am reminded that, for many of us alcoholics and addicts, our lifelong journey to Sobriety really does have two parts.  The first is getting sober, just stopping the consumption of alcohol or drugs or the high risk behavior patterns that have the same effect.  We have to stop it all completely and work with those in the Fellowships to help us achieve some semblance of a sober life that can last for more than a few days or weeks.  This first step is usually achieved with some success in a matter of months or a few years.

But like Beowulf’s second battle against Grendel’s Mother, the second part of our journey can be much, much harder.  For, after achieving that first level of sobriety, we have to deal with all those elements of ourselves that influenced and facilitated the descent into alcoholism in the first place. We must explore the deep core of who we are and what might have happened to us in our early lives to create the trauma that craved the medicating toxic substances or behaviors. These explorations might be especially difficult and not without much personal suffering.

In Beowulf, the hero must venture down into Grendel’s Mother’s lair, in a deep and dark cavern under a lake. The battle with her is particularly difficult, with much back and forth of Beowulf gaining the upper hand and then losing it. Beowulf finally wins using the monster’s own sword, but in dismembering her body and that of Grendel, this sword is dissolved by the toxic blood of the monsters.  Beowulf returns to the surface with only the hilt of the sword and the dismembered monster heads to reveal to Hrothgar and his subjects his true victory over the monsters.

For many of us, these images conjure up our own journeys down into some latent darkness and our own titanic battles with demons, core remembrances that seem like evil forces within us.  The disparate nature of these things and their ability to derail our quest for sanity and serenity can be real and present…maybe on an ongoing basis in our journeys to sobriety. Our initial victories may not seem to have the finality that is present in this epic story.

But, with the help of the Fellowships to which we attach ourselves, we learn how to deal with them day by day by day by day…and eventually we begin to take their power away.  The ultimate effect becomes much more lasting and the victories of Beowulf over Grendel and his Mother do begin to represent that of our own successes. We can eventually present the dismembered heads of our own demons to our peers in recovery with a sense of satisfaction and serenity.