MRN Celebrates Recovery in St. Louis with the Cardinals

September is recognized as National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month.  Members, friends and allies of MRN gathered in St. Louis on Sunday, Sept. 23 to celebrate the reality of recovery from alcohol and other drug addictions.  Close to 400 people gathered to celebrate recovery and to watch the St. Louis Cardinals play the Houston Astros. 

The event was planned to help bring public awareness that thousands of Missourians are in recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.  Those in long term recovery are living proof that recovery is possible and there are real solutions to the public health crisis of addiction. 

The weather was great with a clear sky (much different from last year), the Cardinals won 4-3, and fun was had by all.  When the Astros hit a two run homerun in the top of the 9th, many thought the game was over.  But the Cards fought back getting three runs in the bottom of the 9th.  Two victories were celebrated that evening, the victory over addiction called RECOVERY and the Cardinals 4-3 victory.   The MRN was recognized on the big stadium screen, on the stadium message text board, and also on the air with KTRS.  Rally for Recovery and No Shame in Recovery banners were displayed in our section during the game.  

The MRN wishes to thank all those who supported this event by purchasing tickets and being a part of this celebration.   Together we can change the focus from the illness of addiction to honoring the hope, healing, and reality of recovery!

The 4th Annual 24/7 Recovery Group Campout was a Huge Success!

The 4th Annual 24/7 Recovery Campout was another huge success! The group enjoyed fishing and fellowship May 18-20, 2007 at Wappapello State Park, Wappapello, MO. A group meeting was held Saturday evening by the campfire where the topic of discussion was the 12 steps and what each step meant to each of us in attendance. Spiritual, as well as practical information explaining each step, was discussed.

We put out limb lines and ran them every couple of hours and we did catch a few fish, as the pictures prove.  Of course the biggest catch of the day got away!

Sunday morning Austin Montague gave a short message on passage John 9 ~ recognizing God when he is present in our lives and standing firm in what we believe. Funds were collected throughout the year to help pay for this annual event. The fish that we caught were used for the fish fry on Saturday evening. Grandma's favorite batter recipe was used to coat the fish and the hushpuppies.  It melted in your mouth!

We had approximately 50 in attendance for the fish fry and 21 in attendance at the Saturday evening meeting.  The group has camped at this state park in the past and the camp rangers really took to our group, no drinking, and no rowdy stuff - just good clean fun! Several in attendance had never gone on this camp trip before.  That's the whole point, to expand your social circle and get others who are in recovery and support recovery to attend events such as this! One individual made a comment at the end of the weekend that he felt changed by this experience.  Another individual said that he got more out of the weekend than any church service he had been to, and a new comer stated, “WOW!  I didn’t know you could fish without drinking beer.”  The group is already making plans for another trip this year!

A lot of work goes into making an event like this worthwhile, successful, fun, and comfortable for all those in attendance, so all folks feel at home and enjoy themselves. Life skills are self-taught on a trip like this, such as how to get along and have fun with others in recovery without drinking alcohol, and how to have fun doing things with your family.  Many of us grew up in dysfunctional families and never experienced true family fun.  We each had fun serving each other and serving our God while on the trip.  If you would like to join us on the next trip or find out more about 24/7 Recovery, please contact Austin Montague at 573-718-1951 or tagville@yrless.net.  We look forward to your participation at future events. 

Help us and MRN change the focus from the illness of addiction to honoring the hope, healing, and reality of recovery statewide! 

Written by Austin Montague, Fisk, MO
MRN Council Member and Founder of 24/7

Regional Recovery Conference held in Poplar Bluff, Missouri

The first ever Regional Recovery Conference was held on September 16 in Poplar Bluff at the Tinnin Fine Arts Center. The conference theme was “No Shame in Recovery.” The conference purpose was to gain the knowledge, tools, and resources to encourage personal growth and a solid recovery foundation. The event attracted over 100 individuals who were in recovery, seeking recovery, family/friends of those in treatment/recovery, or supporters of recovery.

The MRN was represented by Brenda Schell, MRN Project Director, and Clif Johnson, MRN Council Vice Chair, addressing the mission, values, and goals of the Missouri Recovery Network. Several in attendance became members of MRN and were willing to serve the MRN in some capacity to help advocate for recovery. Other speakers included Martin Davis, therapist and author of Ashes Into Gold: The Journey of Spirituality; Dr. Charles Smith, author, lecturer and licensed counselor with expertise in subjects ranging from self-esteem to grief; Wayne White, Advanced Substance Abuse Counselor; Rev. Ben Jordan, Motivational Speaker; Jane Pfefferkorn, Executive Director of Mission Missouri; Tony Pickrell, Regional Advisory Council; Janet McLane-Li, Southeast Community Treatment Center; Bishop Ron Webb, Christian Restoration Center, and other representatives from Al-Anon and other various 12 step programs.

The Host and Coordinator of the conference, Austin Montague, should be commended for all of his hard work and dedication regarding the planning, marketing, coordinating, and implementation of this conference.

As was stated in the conference, there is “No Shame in Recovery,” and that “Recovery is Real and Does Happen.” It is up to all of us to Break the Silence of Recovery and share experiences and successes. MRN shared that for too long there has been no unified public voice advocating on behalf of recovery and those who still need to achieve it. The few voices that have spoken up tend to be viewed by the public and policymakers as rare exceptions. Voices advocating for the important prevention and treatment have been heard, but silence and anonymity keeps recovery a private matter. THIS SILENCE MUST END! This conference was an endeavor to link all recovery individuals, groups, and organizations together for the common good of restoring individuals back into the workforce as productive members of our society! The voices spoke. We just hope they will continue to speak out and break the silence!

The Mayor of Poplar Bluff, Betty Absheer, presented the Proclamation to Austin Montague in recognition of National Recovery Month.	Austin Montague, Coordinator of the conference (left), Jim Davis, MRN State Council Member (middle), and one of the conference speakers (right).

Clif Johnson, MRN State Council Member, Austin Montague, Regional Recovery Conference Coordinator, and Brenda Schell, MRN Project Director, discussing the conference.	Clif Johnson, MRN State Council Member (left), Austin Montague, Regional Recovery Conference Coordinator (middle), and Brenda Schell, MRN Project Director (right), are showing excitement for the turnout at the 1st Regional Recovery Conference.

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428 E Capitol, 2nd Floor * Jefferson City, MO 65101
phone: 573-635-6669 / 877-669-2280 * fax: 573-635-7257
e-mail: bschell@actmissouri.org
 

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