Feb 17, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Health and Wellness, mens program

Better Than Gold

BRC Recovery My name is Mike Kerr, and I’m the Men’s Segue Supervisor for the BRC Recovery team. Over the past 4 ½ years my recovery has taken on new shapes and has brought me down some pretty adventurous paths. Although, I have to say, that regaining my life has been a huge blessing in itself, the gifts and rewards have been tenfold. But, these did not come from simply sitting back and watching life in recovery happen. I learned early on, and more so as I grew, that God has enabled me to once again make choices. Choices that […]

Jan 26, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Family, Health and Wellness, long-term sobriety Austin, Personal Stories, Recovery, Women's Issues, womens program

Spiritual Sandpaper

Opportunity To Do Some Service Work My name is Ricka Messerve, I am the Women’s Segue Supervisor. I have been sober for over six years and a loyal employee for BRC for nearly five years. I was recently given an opportunity to do some service work within my own family. At the request of my elderly Mother she asked if I could come to her house and assist her after she had knee replacement surgery. Naturally I accepted the challenge. This also has an added blessing… You see, when I was active in my addiction I gave birth to a […]

Jan 12, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Blog, God, Personal Stories, Prayer

Change is Good and Other Irritating Grownup Sayings

Am I the only one who felt like 2016 was upon me before I was quite ready? My house was just beginning to smell and feel really Christmas-y when I looked up one day and the poinsettias were dried up, the cookies were stale, and it seemed like we were taking down the Christmas tree only a few days after it was put up. To be fair, last fall was a bit of a whirlwind. I sold my house, purchased and remodeled a new one, moved, traveled extensively, started practicing Bikram Yoga and all the while watched BRC Recovery grow […]

Dec 15, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alcohol rehab, Alcoholism, Blog, Family, God, Personal Stories

A Parent’s Perspective: Embracing Uncertainty

Control Enthusiast I’m a recovering control freak (I like to think of it as “control enthusiast”) and a grateful Al-Anon. After spending 2014 in introspection, meditating and reading self-help books in an effort to learn more about myself and develop a motto for my life, I was inspired to “embrace uncertainty.” As it turned out, my Higher Power had a sense of humor, because I didn’t even know Step 1 yet! Within a few weeks, I found myself in the rooms of Al-Anon, where I learned Step 1, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.” […]

Nov 5, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, God, Health and Wellness, mens program, Personal Stories, sober living, sober living Austin

The Joy of Sponsorship

BRC Recovery I was told that the key to happiness in sobriety was helping others. The way I understood that statement was this: As soon as I discharged from BRC Recovery I was going to get at least 8 men to sponsor and all of them were going to remain sober because of me. I could not have been more wrong! I was sober for more than a year before another man asked me to take him through the 12 steps. At first I despaired over the fact that no one was approaching me to get some of what I […]

Oct 27, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Personal Stories, Recovery

The Power of Surrender

I sat through a lecture at an addiction treatment conference As I sat through a lecture at an addiction treatment conference last year, I listened to a respected professional in the field speak about empowerment. She stated that the primary goal of the treatment center at which she worked was to empower clients. I often hear this language used to describe part of the mission and vision of a recovery program. I spoke with one clinician who told me that empowerment and choice were two of the main principles that every treatment program should promote. If by empowerment we are […]

Oct 13, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alumni Stories, Blog, Family, General Category 4, God, News, Personal Stories

2015 BRC Alumni Reunion Recap

October 10, 2015 We are grateful to all of our alumni, family, and friends that joined us on October 10, 2015 for an unforgettable evening, full of fun and fellowship, as we celebrated recovery together with our first ever alumni group photo. If you were one of the few that unfortunately missed this jubilee here’s a quick rundown of events… Guests enjoyed mouthwatering Pappasito’s fajitas, create-your-own cupcakes by The Cupcake Bar, a mechanical bull, the infamous photobooth, a bouncy house, and face painting. Marsha Stone, CEO, gave her annual “State of the Union” address during the opening ceremony which included […]

Oct 6, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Family, God, Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Prayer, Recovery

Finding Stillness

The mind is a marvelous mechanism “The mind is a marvelous mechanism,” to quote a friend Bill W. It can be a useful tool or a nagging liability, depending on the degree of inner stillness I am experiencing. Through the spiritual path outlined by the 12 Steps, I have learned that in order for me to be able to trust and use my mind effectively, there are certain actions that have to be taken and attitudes adopted. Once I have cleaned house (meaning taken the necessary actions to be freed of the destructive power of resentment, fear, and made amends) […]