It Begins With Me

A Conversation With the First Graduate of the Muscogee Healing & Recovery Center

The Muscogee Healing & Recovery Center recently celebrated the first graduate of its residential treatment program. Before leaving the center, he reflected on what made this experience different, what recovery will require of him moving forward and what he would tell someone considering rehab.

Q: You’ve been through treatment before. What made rehab different this time?

This was my fourth time in rehab. In the past, I was even sent all the way to California. To me, that just felt like a glorified vacation. It just didn’t work for me. But this is the first time I felt like I really learned something in rehab.

The schedule here is packed. They keep us busy. Obviously I’ve been through rehab before, but never like this. Plus, no one’s forcing you to be here. I’m not court-ordered to be here. You’re here because you want to be.

Q: What has the community here meant to you?

I call us a dysfunctional family. When I first got here, I joked that I was like the little brother no one asked for.

But once other residents started coming in and new guys were showing up, I really wanted them to feel welcome and show them how we do things. I feel like I’m leaving like a big brother now.

Q: What makes recovery so important to you now?

This really is life or death for me. I’m young and I had a heart attack. I was at church and ended up in the ER with my blood pressure over 300. It was my wake-up call. I had been sober for 20 months when I relapsed.

Plus, the streets aren’t like they used to be. Fentanyl is out there, and every time you use, that’s something you have to think about and a risk you’re taking. That and the heart attack, I know what’s at stake for me now.

Q: What does graduating from the program mean to you?

I feel like, for the first time in a very long time, my family is proud of me. I can’t explain what that means to me.

But I also know the real work starts when I leave here. The real world is out there and I’m an addict—let me rephrase that… I’m a RECOVERING addict. It’s easy in here because there is structure and good people around you. 

Q: What would you tell someone who’s thinking about rehab?

I really thought my life would be so boring if I ever got sober. I thought I would never have any fun again. But I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. It’s not true and another excuse that you tell yourself.

These guys and I have just as much fun, if not more. I still crack jokes and enjoy myself—probably even more now than I ever have.

Q: What are you taking with you as you leave the residential program?

I’m rebuilding relationships, but I’m also learning to set boundaries with others. That is part of the work too. Not falling into old habits with the same people from the past.