This past May, Alex Zemeckis and Scott DeLeau joined host Steve Levenson on the SD Local podcast to discuss The Grounds program and recovery. During the show, Alex and Scott covered a range of topics including transitional living program structure, realistic expectations for parents, and the reasons why long-term recovery requires at least one full year of treatment.

Patrick is one of those guys where you hear the slogan…”What a miracle”. It’s often used when referring to people who have recovered from a state of hopelessness and are now “killing-it.” Patrick’s addiction kept him from pursuing his culinary dreams. A year later & sober, he’s working in a 5 Star restaurant! He wasn’t given this job on a silver platter (pun intended). He had to earn it, just like everything at The Grounds, just like life. Early in his recovery, Patrick started working in a dirty kitchen at a breakfast place. It was a hard go but he stuck with it and kept his dream alive. After a few months, he landed a job at an upscale Pizza/American Fusion restaurant where he quickly became an instrumental leader. Patrick took risks by providing new menu items and learning new management skills. As a token of gratitude, he prepared a delicious meal for all of the members and staff at The Grounds. It was a great night! Recently, Patrick was hired at a very upscale restaurant (5 Stars!) in the “foodie” part of downtown San Diego. With some help from his family; he purchased a vehicle and started paying his own car & insurance payments. True independence is taking shape in strong and tangible ways and running parallel to Patrick’s increased strength within his sobriety. The metaphors are endless. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for his commitment to his recovery- FIRST. It opened the doors to long-dormant dreams and goals. At The Grounds, we are so grateful for guys like Patrick who prove that young adults can recover with the help of a safe, structured & supportive environment. It reminds each of us how awesome life can be. Independence worth celebrating!

Are you smarter than an 8th grader? Definitely not! Before school ended, I had the opportunity to speak with the 8th & 9th-grade classes at Santa Barbara Middle School. “My talk”, is my story growing up with drugs & alcohol combined with an interactive discussion regarding all types of addictions & addictive behavior. I let the students facilitate the group; engaging each other in a safe, supportive manner. I’m always amazed at how knowledgeable on this subject they are. Year after year, I’m reminded that these kids know so much more than me. Time & time again I’ve heard parents, teachers, clinicians, “adults” in general talk about how kids “know everything”. That’s nothing new, we’ve all had that discussion and we’ve all been that adolescent that knows way more than our parents- right? It’s the natural cycle. But, it scares us that on this subject, maybe they do know it all. In my opinion, we often discuss this topic from a place of FEAR. Why are we so terrified that kids know more than we do about tough issues & how can we keep up??? OMG! That’s just it. We will never keep up. We need to try to say educated yet surrender to the fact that we may never get ahead. How could we keep up with new synthetic drugs on the market, Craigslist code names/aliases to score drugs, etc.? We can’t. What we can do is share our experience, stay aware and take action when necessary. Most of all, we need to keep talking about it so they know it’s safe and ok to not have all of the answers. Every year going into my presentation I think to myself, “What are these kids going to learn from me? How is a 31-year-old relatable to a 13 & 14-year-old? They’re not going to take me seriously!” But then 2 weeks later, I start getting these amazing handwritten letters from students. Not only thanking me but sharing their personal experiences with an older brother, a cousin, mom or dad, etc. Often, seeking guidance, suggestions & advice. Showing clearly that they are in the thick of it and that this problem is definitely not going away. That’s when I know I’ve connected.

The Grounds members celebrated Earth Day this year by joining over 100 local citizens in cleaning up trash-ridden homeless camps along several of San Diego’s arroyos & riverbeds. Offering the important parallel messages of the importance of keeping our water sources clean and gratitude, it was a clear reminder of the often results of untreated mental illness and heavily progressed substance abuse. It was humbling and eye-opening for all. The Grounds requires all members gain employment and work 30+ hours per week along with their multiple clinical commitments and programmatic responsibilities. Even still, service is a foundational value and significant priority. We believe that there is no better feeling than getting outside of oneself- not a typical default behavior for most of us.  We hope you were able to participate in giving back to our planet in your own way within your community.