The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 29

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 29 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 1933, the Jewish population of Europe was approx 9.5 million.  In 1950, it was approx 3.5 million.  While there were some emigrations before the intense Nazi persecutions began in 1938 and after WWII ended in 1945, the vast bulk of that reduction was the systematic murder of nearly 6 million by the Nazis during that intervening period. The Holocaust was a wretched chapter in human history and we can debate forever why and how it could possibly have happened…especially considering the vast number of both victims who were killed and perpetrators who made conscious decisions to participate in the killing or ignore the reality that it was happening.

Wars and horrific events that are occasioned by wars are an ever present experience in the history of the human species.  They have always seemed to me to have happened when our basest natures begin to rule our activities, for whatever reasons. It is almost as if wars and the horrific events around wars represent the collective of societies acting out in a massive alcoholic rage. I believe there is a parallel here to each of us in our diseased states.

Our individual alcoholism, the elements of our psyches that set us up to an ugly descent into the abyss of demoralization, shame, fear, and pain, may have had many causes. These conditions can happen for collectives as well. Thinking of what happened in the Holocaust, in all its phases, it seems that there are parallels to the most despicable of our behaviors in our diseased states.

This may be why, for those of us fully committed to living lives in the pursuit of sobriety, our new-found, 12-step based behavior is so critical to the societies in which we live. It is clear that the experience of the long history of the human species is to higher and higher levels of consciousness. As human societies evolve to these greater states, those of us carrying the message, modeling new behavior, motivated solely from a consciousness of service, will be the agents of ultimate change.  Service to everyone, individually and collectively, service to the Cosmos from a profound position of humility, must be our fundamental calling.

Kristen Johnston Helps The Council on Recovery Raise $440K to Fund Addiction Prevention, Education, & Treatment Programs

Kristen at PodiumTwo-time Emmy Award-winning actress and best-selling author Kristen Johnston inspired a crowd of 900 with her personal story of addiction and recovery this past Thursday at the Hilton Americas-Houston. In the process, she helped The Council on Recovery raise more than $440,000 to provide prevention, education, and treatment services in the Greater Houston area.

Anne Schallenberger
Ann McCullough Shallenberger

Johnston was the keynote speaker at the 35th Annual Spring Luncheon in The Waggoners Foundation Speaker Series presented by the Wayne Duddlesten Foundation. The Luncheon also honored long-time Council board member and friend, Anne McCullough Shallenberger, with The Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her commitment, service, and dedication to The Council’s mission.

 

Co Chairs w Kristen
Devon Anderson, Kristen, Bob Newhouse

With preceding remarks from Luncheon co-chairs, Devon Anderson and Bob Newhouse, and heartfelt introduction by Jerri Duddlesten-Moore, Kristen Johnston praised The Council on Recovery’s work. She said, “I’ve been speaking for a while and going all over, and this [The Council on Recovery] is the most comprehensive treatment center. What you’re doing here is truly unique.”

Speaking of her own struggles with addiction, Kristen spoke of the stigma that often surrounds addiction and the importance for those who are in recovery to address that stigma. Sober 13 years, Kristen said, “There is still a lot of work to be done to get our voices heard…to help break down the stigma that, once in recovery, it’s not something to openly talk about.”

Kristen echoed the concerns voiced by Devon Anderson about challenges that young people face amidst the new technologies that have become highly addictive in their own right. Kristen’s own passion for helping adolescents was recently reflected in the publicized work she did to help establish New York City’s first sober high school.

June Waggoner and late husband Virgil are the benefactors of The Waggoners Foundation Speaker Series in honor and memory of their son, Jay Waggoner, whom they lost to alcoholism. Since the luncheon series’ creation in 1999, it has attracted nearly 33,000 people and raised over $14 Million. Past luncheon speakers include Rob Lowe, Patrick Kennedy, Ashley Judd, Tom Arnold, Lynda Carter, Paul Williams, Richard Dreyfuss, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jim Belushi, and Earl Campbell.

 

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 28

Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 28 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.

Days of Wine Roses Image
Days of Wine & Roses

When I was 19, in 1962, I remember going to see the movie Days of Wine and Roses, about a couple struggling with alcoholism. Joe, played by Jack Lemmon, and Kirsten, played by Lee Remick, descend from active social drinking into desperate alcoholism.  An otherwise normal couple in the corporate world of New York in the 1950’s, their descent is gradual until numerous bouts of out-of-control binging begin to destroy their lives.  Joe pursues recovery through AA, with Jack Klugman as Jim, his sponsor, providing an excellent portrayal of the sponsor role.  Kirsten struggles much more mightily with the disease but fails in the end.  Joe and she split up and she just disappears into a world of out-of-control drinking.

From my perspective, this movie is one of the really good, early-on portrayals of the true nature of this disease.  It also resonates with me because it carries the imagery and ambiance, and the ever presence of alcohol, of the business world in New York where I began my adult life.

We all know that there are many more sad stories of people in this disease than there are happy ones. When I saw this movie, I was far away from my disease, although my father had struggled his whole life, so I had some inkling.  But the movie’s end struck me very powerfully.  Joe was in recovery, and Kirsten, still in the disease, came to see him to suggest they get back together.  He says he will but only if she gives up drinking.  She responds, “Joe, the world looks so dirty to me when I am not drinking.  Remember Fisherman’s Wharf…the water so fuzzy when you looked too close? That’s the way the world looks to me when I am not drinking.”

The movie closes with Joe looking out the window of his apartment into a rainy night seeing Kirsten walk away down the street and disappear.  The power of that scene to me at the time, a 19 year old in 1962, begs some explanation, which I cannot provide.  Perhaps it was some element of the imbedded nature of my life with alcohol present even at such an early time.  But, whatever it was, from the perspective of today, it is a spectacular manifestation of what we can enjoy in the continuing pursuit of committed sobriety.

As Trauma From Hurricane Harvey Persists, The Council on Recovery Launches Free Counseling & Treatment for Those Still Struggling

Grant from Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Allows Council to Provide Free Help for Trauma, Mental Health Issues, and Substance Use Disorders to People Affected by the Storm

Thanks to a grant received from the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, The Council on Recovery is now offering all of its services at no cost to qualified hurricane victims. The Council will provide counseling, treatment, and support to individuals and families affected by storm-related trauma, substance abuse issues, and mental health disorders. These free services will help those who are still struggling to recover nearly eight months after the hurricane hit the coast of Texas.

Mel Cropped
Mel Taylor

“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, “For some, the financial distress caused by Harvey makes treatment at any cost unaffordable. This funding will allow us to serve those people and remain the starting point for everyone who needs 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. Those who qualify will receive these services at no charge.

“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.”

For more information, call The Council on Recovery at (713) 942-4100 or visit www.councilonrecovery.org

The Lifelong Quest For Sobriety…The Ultimate Hero’s Journey—Part 27

Declaration of Independence 1Guest Blogger and long-time Council friend, Bob W. presents Part 27 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.

The United States Declaration of Independence is the basic expression of the principles, the mythic structure that is our American Nation. The “truths (held) to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” that “governments are instituted among men deriving their just rights (only) from the consent of the governed,” is the foundation of all that we espouse. They are the necessary bases for our way of life, despite the myriad of experiences that may happen from time to time where we fail to live up to these tenets. In the final analysis, all of our levels of government can only be successful if they are willing to fall back to these principles to resolve disputes.

However, it is my belief that the only communities of women and men that live up to these basic American principles in an almost absolute fashion are Alcoholics Anonymous and its fellow Twelve Step programs. We have no leaders, our volunteers and service personnel do not govern. Our only authority is a loving God as he may express himself through our Group Conscience.  Decisions about how our Fellowships are to proceed are made by Groups operating only with the Steps and Traditions to guide them. In times of stress and conflict, we can all fall back on our basic Steps and Traditions, and our collective commitments to sobriety, to restore order.

I consider myself an avowed American with a firm commitment to the principles of our American Founding…and living in the communities of 12 Step programs reinforces the joy I have felt since birth about living in an American world based on these principles.

Of course, the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions could not be the only things that would determine the stability of the broader societies that represent our Nation. Multi-tiered governmental systems are necessary to enact laws, prosecute and restrain the lawless, and interpret conflicting dicta that may derail societal systems. Without them, the innate chaotic tendencies of many of us could destroy us.  But we in the Fellowships seem to avoid these breakdowns by our own individual and collective commitment to sobriety.

For all of us sufferers of addiction, the similarities of our Groups to American societal systems provide for wonderful reflection on the beauty of our Fellowships.  But it is the fundamental commitment we all feel to the success of these Fellowships that is the real magic, and the one that keeps us from the occasional breakdowns in functioning that might happen in other, broader systems.

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.