Apr 19, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Alcohol rehab, Alumni Personal Stories, Blog, Family, God, Health and Wellness, mens program, Personal Stories, Prayer, Recovery

The Power of Step 12

STEP 12 “We tried to carry this message to other alcoholics.” It still amazes me how this line from Step 12 carries so much power! We learn on pg. 89 of the Big Book, “that nothing will so much insure immunity from drinking as intensive work with other alcoholics.” With long term sobriety being the goal for myself, I follow these instructions only to find that the real freedom is when I get to carry the message of hope to another alcoholic or drug addict. The key to my freedom today is being able to carry the message of recovery into hospitals […]

Mar 15, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In 12 Steps 2, Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, drug addiction, Drug Free, Drug News, drug rehab Austin, Drugs, Family, God, Health and Wellness, Women's Issues, womens program

Life is a Privilege

Three years ago Three years ago, as I sat alone paralyzed by fear on yet another seedy motel bathroom floor, I was wondering why I had to experience a level of inexplicable internal pain for what seemed like so many years. The only explanation my besotted mind could believe was this suffering would one day be useful to someone else. I had heard for years that the solution to my self-centered condition was to “help someone else” or, “do something selfless for once in your life”. These notions seemed less than improbable to fill that seemingly insatiable hole within, that’s […]

Feb 23, 2016 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Family, God, Health and Wellness, Personal Stories, Prayer

A Parent’s Perspective: Finding Serenity

Your phone rings, you see your caller ID, and your stomach churns. You hear sirens and your blood runs cold. You wonder if your son or daughter, your loved one, is in trouble. Will you have to bail him out? Will you have to visit her in the hospital? Or worse? Or it might be other concerns, such as requests for money, help with childcare, or letting him move back in to your home. These questions, fears, and situations are often daily experiences for family members and friends of addicts. Those who love addicts may constantly live in “fight or […]

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 […]

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 20, 2015 / By BRC Recovery / In Addiction, Alumni Personal Stories, Alumni Stories, Blog, Heroin, mens program, Personal Stories, Prayer, Recovery

There is a Solution

Growing Up In A Town Growing up in a town right outside of Boston, MA, I always felt like I was shielded from the most dangerous elements of society and safe from harm. Warm summers, cool falls, snowy winters and crisp springs made New England one of the best places to live. Leaving home and heading to college at 18, I was about to embark on a journey that would eventually land me in Austin, TX at BRC Recovery. “Did you see the paper this morning? Seven more deaths due to overdoses.” This question, followed by harsh news, became my […]