BRC RECOVERY BLOG

Once an Alumni, Always an Alumni

BRC Recovery

Let’s be honest, none of us ever thought that checking into residential treatment meant that we were being welcomed into a new family. I surely never thought it would turn out this way, but I am eternally grateful that it did! Today, as an alumna, I have a second family that will love me unconditionally no matter what. That’s what makes BRC Recovery and Spearhead Lodge so special.  Once you are here, you are always welcome. Once an alumni, always an alumni.

Writing this blog as the Alumni Coordinator of both BRC Recovery and Spearhead Lodge comes with it a sense of humility, gratitude, and energy! Never once did I think that I could help others experience fun, excitement, and a sense of belonging in recovery. Before coming to BRC my life was merely an existence. I would wander around the world contemplating where I would end up and what my place in life would be. What was my purpose? I could never put the puzzle pieces together in a way that made sense. At BRC, my whole life changed. I wanted something different. I wanted to be sober and experience life like I never had. This new journey started in residential treatment for me and continues to unfold well into my alumni years.

What is the Alumni Program about you ask? I have pondered that myself and to keep it simple, I found my tribe! Participating in the Alumni Program is about finding your people and loving them hard.  We show up for our brothers and sisters in recovery no matter what. Joining that second family that you never thought you would have. The Big Book tells us, “We are a people who would normally not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful.” It describes being “catapulted into the fourth dimension of existence.” Our relationships with one another are deep and meaningful today. That is the vision of our Alumni Program. We get to find out who God intended us to be and live that journey out together as a family.

Living a life as a BRC Recovery alumni is beyond what I had envisioned for myself. Not only do I get to help others energize their own recovery, but I get to enjoy life while doing so. If sobriety was not fun, who would want to be sober? This program has given me the design for living that allowed me to become the person and the alumna I have always wanted to be. I am eternally grateful that this simple fact has bonded me with all of you in a way that cannot be broken. I have found my tribe and second family, not only in Texas but across the country. Once an alumni, always an alumni.

Lauryn Crutchfield
BRC Recovery

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