Category | Op Ed

The legacy of experience

Published on October 30, 2007 by The Sentinel

    Did you ever wish you were part of the solution to some of
society’s problems?  Do you ever feel like you would like to make a
difference in another person’s life?  Well you are not alone.

     At The Extension Addiction Recovery Center, people are turning lives around every day. 

     Men are being returned to hope and are facing
their lives with new tools. Families are healing and men are returning
to their roles as proud, productive people.  Eyes sparkle again,
because children have their fathers back.

    I have recently had the pleasure of interning for my
master’s degree at The Extension Men’s Addiction Recovery place. 
It is an awesome experience.  Besides offering an in depth
recovery program for substance abuse, the program is structured in a
way that helps men to gain a myriad of life skills. They learn how to
obtain gainful employment, how to budget and save money, strong
parenting techniques and how to be a productive member of the community.

    All of these values and many more are reflected in
the staff at the Extension.  The director, J.J. Bremner is a
powerful example of how one can turn one’s life around.  He is a
no-nonsense, yet loving, man who always has time to stop and
listen.  He leads a seminar for people in early recovery that is
always packed.  His outgoing and comical nature encourages people
to continue to walk in recovery.  He demonstrates through his own
life that recovery is a wondrous thing to be sought after and
treasured, and that recovery from substance abuse can lead to a
phenomenal life.

    The other male counselors are all models of strong
accomplished men of dignity.  They are honorable, courageous,
supportive and honest.  The residents at the Extension say they
have impacted their lives in unforgettable ways.  Alumni of the
Extension go on to help others in the community.  They say that
for them the Extension is a hope factory.  It is exhilarating to
watch a man graduate from this awesome program.  The love and
laughter fills the room.  A changed man stands before us, the
light returned to his eyes.  Here he has made friends for life and
he is grateful he has found a better way.