Hearts are broken
“The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead. Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil. We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough.” -Big Book, pg. 82
It was the Sunday afternoon after severe weather roared through Austin, TX where the BRC Recovery Residences are located. The area was a mess, as you could imagine. I just finished lunch when I heard the sound of a leaf blower. I looked out the window, and a couple of residents of the BRC apartments were cleaning up the mess in the courtyard. I was taken a back, and my heart was filled with gratitude.
Feeling pumped, I walked over to our Segue office. One of our Recovery Managers asked if I had told the residents to clean up. When I told him no, his response was similar to mine. Not long ago, these men were like a tornado roaring through the lives of others. Now, however, that is not the case for these men because of their experience at BRC Recovery.
The men and women who go through BRC are presented with a solution to their problems, one of those problems being selfishness and self-centeredness. Residents are taught how to work and live the steps, which is an effective remedy for selfishness and self-centeredness. In fact, the residents start practicing these principles right out of the gate. It does not take long for the residents to learn the BRC culture. Part of that culture is being of service to others. That is carried on to the apartments.
I asked one of the guys why he helped out. He looked at me funny and said that the apartments were his home, and he was just doing the next right thing. Moments like today are the reasons I do what I do. It is a privilege to watch these men continue to grow and become the men they always wanted to be.
Bob Couch
Men’s Recovery Residence Manager
BRC Recovery