Serenity Point Patients and Staff Celebrate Freedom From Addiction at the 2015 Recovery Palooza
Grand Rapids, MI (PRWEB) November 16, 2015 -- On September 19th, 2015, at the Ah-Nab-Awen Park in Grand Rapids, MI, the 9th Annual “Recovery Palooza” was held, a celebration of the personal accomplishments that have been made by those in recovery from addiction, as well as the progress made by professionals in the substance abuse treatment field. Serenity Point Recovery, a holistic treatment center for substance abuse located in the neighboring town of Marne, was one of the sponsors of this year’s event, and several of the patients and staff members from Serenity joined in the day’s festivities.
“As a person progresses through their treatment program at our rehabilitation center, they begin to learn the importance of offering support and encouragement to each other,” commented Serenity Point founder Per Wickstrom. “Participation in Recovery Palooza was a great way for our patients to get back out into the community for a bit, and to connect with those who have a personal understanding of the challenges that they are facing in recovery from addiction. We were honored to have the opportunity to support this event, and we are grateful for the inspiration and encouragement that our patients and staff were able to draw from it.”
Annual Recovery Palooza
Organized by Recovery Allies of West Michigan, Recovery Palooza is held every September, the month that is designated as National Drug and Alcohol Addiction Recovery Month. Kevin McLaughlin, the director of Recovery Allies, offered an explanation of the reasons behind the event, saying "The purpose of the Palooza is to honor those who work every day to live in survivorship, to offer information to those interested on how to initiate recovery and to show the community that life after addiction is to be celebrated.”
Some of the Serenity Point patients and staff that attended Recovery Palooza were interviewed about their experiences that day. Mike Wilkerson, the Director of Personnel for Serenity, said, “Being able to be out in the community and feel normal again is a critical step in (the patients’) recovery.” Syerra shared what she had learned about others and about herself during her time at Serenity and at Recovery Palooza. “Just being around people that understand and have a passion for sobriety is something that compels me to stick with it,” she says. “From both of those places, I have learned so much about the potential that recovering addicts have.” Forrest found inspiration from those who shared their stories that day, adding, “It was really inspiring. They had a stage where they had people talking with many years of sobriety. I met a lot of different people, I had a lot of laughs. It was a good time, good natural fun.” A video with clips from these interviews and footage from Recovery Palooza is available on the Serenity Point YouTube channel.
Serenity Point Recovery takes an individualized approach to treatment for substance abuse. Rather than using a single “cookie-cutter” method of rehabilitation, Serenity takes into account the vast differences in the patients that they see at their recovery center, offering various options in treatment method for the patient to chooses from. This allows them to discover what will be most effective for them and their individual needs, creating a sense of confidence in the program and helping the patient understand the level of personal responsibility that they hold in remaining sober after graduation.
Derry Hallmark, Serenity Rehab, http://www.serenityrehab.com, +1 231-887-4590, [email protected]
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