We know the opposite of addiction is connection.
This is why we talk about the many pathways of recovery, what works for one person might not work for the other. The importance is to find something that you can connect with as Michael Serrano (CCAR Recovery Community Manager) said in our previous Facebook Live, it’s about having a buffet of options to choose from! And like a buffet, we don’t just eat one thing, we grab a little from everything! The more pathways of recovery we have the more likely we are to succeed.
Plus our pathways can change, or something new can be added!
Recently I’ve added a new pathway to my personal recovery journey, Storytelling.
Honestly, when I first heard about Storytelling being a pathway of recovery I was kind of confused... Like how will this help me in my recovery?
BUT let me tell ya... I love storytelling now!
This is not your average storytelling. I always get asked to share my story which I love doing to provide hope and advocate for recovery, but it’s stressful. Let's be honest, how can I talk about 26 years of life experience in 30 minutes!? Then what ends up happening is I start rambling about something and get lost, or end up saying something I’ll regret later... But not anymore.
Meghann Perry the creator of the Storytelling curriculum has designed a way to share your story that’s easy, strategic, and safe. Her workshops combine the art and science of recovery coaching, adult learning theory, and the crafts of storytelling and theatre to create transformational experiences that build resilience, healing, empowerment, and community for individuals from all walks of life.
After attending Meghann’s storytelling workshop it lit a spark in me, and I’m currently attending her workshop again because I love it so much. But honestly, the best part is the community it’s connected me to. Once a month I attend the CCAR P.E.A.R.L.S Storytelling slam with all my CCAR Family and it’s fun, it’s something I look forward to and the amazing stories I hear are just the icing on top that brings us closer together. Leading up to the story slam we banter over social media now that I’ve been saying we need to have a UK(Ireland) V.S. U.S.A. Story Slam! (P.S. CCAR preparing for the British Invasion.)
I’ve been in recovery for 3 ½ years. I’ve done A LOT of work on myself but when I started storytelling it allowed me to share and talk about the hard stuff. Let me try to explain this. Say my past experiences and trauma are a butterfly. I’ve had all these experiences, I’ve worked on them and myself and now we just put that butterfly in a jar, close the lid and set it on the shelf. Storytelling allowed me to look at the butterfly, talk about the butterfly and set the butterfly free. It’s this amazing feeling of letting go of what’s holding you down and creating something beautiful you always remember as well.
Now I understand storytelling might not be for you, I get it I was skeptical at first as well! But it could be, just don’t knock it till you try it! (Check out these CCAR Stories) And if you do happen to like it great, we need more people for the UK(Ireland) V.S. U.S.A. Slam that’s going to happen one day!
Meghann recently did an Introduction to Storytelling with us, check out this short story I did about Storytelling!