The Holidays

-Chris Cox, STM, LPC, LAC, NCC, MAC, Fellow AAPC, Family Program Coordinator Ah yes, the Holidays. The time of year that is supposed to be a one of joy, celebration, spending time with family and friends. When Sherry thinks of the Holiday seasons from her childhood, she gets a knot in the pit of her … Continued

About the Family Program

Dear Pavillon, My husband and I attended the Family Program in October, 2018. This event could not have been better: it was informative, relaxed, considerate and led by the dynamic duo of Pete and Lindy. Our group quickly bonded and we were able to trust and question each other. In my opinion, the group sharing … Continued

An Open Letter

-Mariel S. “Recovery is an ongoing process, for both the addict and his or her family. In recovery, there is hope. And hope is a wonderful thing.” ~ Dean Dauphinais Hello, This is an open letter to anyone thinking about seeking help for substance use disorders. Maybe you’ve been here before. Maybe you haven’t. What … Continued

Keeping it simple…

-Katie, Pavillon Alumni First things first: my name is Katie and I’m in recovery. My life is full, joyful, manageable, and TOTALLY imperfect. It’s 10:00am and the bed isn’t made. I haven’t unpacked from my weekend trip to the beach. I haven’t mailed that Thank You note to my Godmother. Told my folks I’d visit … Continued

Young Women’s Program

-Amy Lancaster, LCSWA, LCAS Pavillon is pleased to announce that we have developed a young women’s program, specialized to effectively engage women who are between 18 and 26 years old. We have always served young women within our milieu, but now we have the capacity to alter programming to cater to the specific needs of … Continued

Indifference…

-Michael, Pavillon Alumni “To be indifferent…isn’t just to be ignorant; it’s to be rude. And ingratitude is a shabby failing.” ~David McCullough One of the most noticeable and wonderful aspects of being clean and sober is to be finally liberated from the chains of indifference. At first glance, this rude ignorance—also known as apathy—appears to … Continued

You Pick the Reward

– Marcus Shumate, LCAS, LPC A saying that has emerged in our young men’s program is “the patient picks the fun.” As I write that sentence it occurs to me that I should clarify what we mean by “fun”. We are all responsive to things we find “fun” and/or “meaningful”. These things “reward” our behavior … Continued

Change…

-Michael, Pavillon Alumni “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” ~Mahatma Gandhi This quote appears on the wall right next to a listing of the Twelve Steps directly across from where I regularly sit at one of my very favorite AA Meetings. Even though I have noticed and enjoyed this … Continued

Healing with Spontaneity and Creativity

-Ray Holland, MS, LMHC, LPC Almost by definition, addiction is experienced as an inescapable shock, imprisoning you and conveying a pervasive “felt sense” of learned helplessness. That’s important to fully grasp because it helps explain why, as the emotional ice cube melts in rehab, one of the hardest tasks is to gain any emotional sobriety. … Continued

Hard Time Accepting…

– Michael, Pavillon Alumni “I don’t know exactly when I became an addict/alcoholic, I just have to accept that I will always be one.” ~Anonymous While I understand that reflection upon the road behind me has its value–especially when it comes to not endlessly repeating the same mistakes–I was really astounded when I heard someone … Continued