Former patients celebrate being clean
The positive change in the family relationships and the support given to one another was truly amazing to witness.
The Wedge Gardens Treatment Centre celebrated the sober and clean anniversaries of more than 25 ex-patients during a special aftercare function recently.
There were also a number of ex-patients celebrating their second and consecutive anniversaries during the evening.
“It was a breath of fresh air, considering the doom and gloom that often accompanies addiction,” said Ms Adél Grobbelaar, the head of Wedge Gardens.
“It was clear that the professionals who work at Wedge Gardens and leading members of fellowships, such as Alcoholic Anonymous, enjoy a working relationship which adds to the success of the programme,” said Ms Grobbelaar.
Wedge Gardens believes that aftercare is critical for people who have completed a rehabilitation programme in order to positively influence their success rate.
“The rewards of working in the field of addiction were made clear during this function; we could see how broken and hopeless individuals had risen from devastating circumstances and once again are physically healthy, functional and financially fit members of society,” she said.
Loved ones came along to celebrate on the night. Ms Grobbelaar said the positive change in the family relationships and the support given to one another was truly amazing to witness.
She said even though addiction is regarded as a progressive disease and relapses may form part of the recovery process for some, the ideal situation will always remain that an individual will restrain from using any addictive substances again.
“However, for some the journey to a clean and sober lifestyle may not happen at all. For others it could be a tedious and long journey. One should acknowledge that the fight against addiction for an individual is a hard battle with a lot of dynamics that influence the process. The opinion of a number of people in the community that addiction is a self-inflicted condition and that an individual should be able to stop using whenever they want to is not true. While it is true that non-use will move the condition into a remission period, once they use again it is once again an active disease. In view of the above, we would like to again acknowledge and congratulate those individuals who could stand up and fight this battle successfully,”said Ms Grobbelaar.
“It was indeed an emotional and proud evening for most of those present. One could see the triumph on their faces,” said Ms Ayanda Matthews, who is part of Rand Aid’s management team.
Wedge Gardens can be reached on 011 430-0320. You can also follow Wedge Gardens on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WedgeGardensTreatmentCentre, or follow them on Twitter @WedgeGardens
