Celebrating Recovery as a Community

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12 step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind. It is a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling your life. A celebration was exactly what it was as Aaron Spaur and Jake Walker hosted an Event at the Wayne Underwood Field on Saturday, September 17th. The Calhoun Boot Straps project had greater than 30 in attendance where multiple stories of recovery were shared from the vantage point of both the addict and the families effected. “Birthdays” of being clean from their addictions were commemorated by coins for the length of time being celebrated together, because of a common bond of having fought the battle and won.

Addiction is not only the story of the addict, but the family unit suffers as well. There is a weight that is carried by all those effected for not having seen the signs, or understanding what was happening, and that weight can only be lifted by the One who has the strength to carry it. Christ alone.

Crystal Mersh was the first to open up about the effect substance abuse had on her family. She one day opened the door of her son’s bedroom to discover that he and his friends were completely under the influence of drugs and out of control. She did all the things a good parent would do. Being a part of a split home, she contacted his father. They sought treatment for their son as well as themselves. It gave her a passion for “this” field of medicine and treatment, Organic Brain Disease for which there is currently no cure.

At the point she discovered her son’s problem, he weighed approximately 150 lbs. At 6 foot tall, she couldn’t believe she’d missed it. They found a Recovery Program Boot Camp that was an intense four day a week program. The parents attended as well, hearing the stories of what other families faced. Her son Aaron got clean. For eight months he was successful, and then he wasn’t. Her turning point was when a counselor said ”The key to your son’s manhood is under your pillow.” It was then she told her son, ”I love you. I can’t do this. I’m done.” He was in jail for months. No bail request was given or ask for. Mistakes had been made on both sides.

Crystal involved herself with a family group, got active in church. Through the Lord Jesus Christ and His community of support she began to heal.

Meet Sarah. A small woman of stature with a personality the size of the State of West Virginia. To meet her on the surface you’d think she had not a care in the world. But beneath the surface was a pain so great, she felt the only way through it was to to numb it with substance abuse. Sarah had the support of family, but it was that very thing that burdened her heart greater. She knew she’d hurt them. Her small community knew everything about her life, she had hurt them as well. She had started using drugs at the age of 14, and described it as fun. It was fixing her previous addiction which had been the validation of people. She continued to use until she was 36 years old. She had 17 mug shots and 2 arrests.

In 2016 Sarah said she had it all. The marriage, car, career, etc. and was the sickest she’d ever been inside. A family member lost his life in a car accident, and she numbed the pain again. For 22 years she attempted to numb the pain of insignificance. At the bottom she was found in the bathroom of Roane Geneneral Hospital where she worked. She was in uniform and unconscious. The hospital told her, ”if you ask for help, we’ll cover your treatment.” For 30 days in a facility she was clean for the first time, but she till described her life as ”very messy.”

Following a painful divorce with the thought that nobody would want her here, in her hometown, she packed everything she owned into a jeep and went to Pennsylvania. For a while she lived out of her jeep. She met a friend one day who asked where she lived, when she told her the friend said “That’s great Sarah, I live in a jeep too!” Sarah responded ”Really.” To which came the reply, ”No, get your life together!” And so she did. She’s been clear 5 1/2 years. She now works for the same facility that helped her to become clean, Silvermist, an Addiction and Mental Health Treatment facility in Western Pennsylvania.

This is Lori. She was the daughter of a circuit riding preacher, a good girl who made a bad decision by believing a boyfriend when he played the ”I love you card.” At sixteen she discovered she was pregnant and concealed it for 7 months. When she told her boyfriend, he wanted her to abort it. Her conservative parents decided for her that she would give the child up for adoption. On Mother’s day that year she gave birth to a son, and three days later she left the hospital without him. No counseling. The matter was not spoken of by anyone. For 25 years she struggled with the decisions of her life. She married a military man and was glad to leave her home town where everyone knew. Like Sarah, she too numbed the pain with alcohol. She was married with two children when on her son’s 4th birthday he became paralyzed. He asked the question ”Why did God allow me to hurt?” It was then that she sought Christ for the answers, she began attending church and soon Celebrate Recovery. At the first meeting a couple testified of having given a baby up for adoption at 16, their struggle, and their success. Their testimony spoke to her pain. Lori discovered her own son on social media. Through the photos of the adoptive mother she discovered he had had a great life. She could move on. And with the help of Celebrate Recover and that support system, she did it successfully.

Multiple agencies came to support the program at the 1982 Foundation field.