24 Nov There is something miraculous here by BRANDON FERNANDEZ-COMER
“I didn’t come to treatment to be quarantined for 14 days,” he shouted while he walked across the street to McDonalds after Cara asked him if he was leaving treatment. He had been in residential for two days, and it wasn’t his first time in the house. All of us know how painful that walk across Case Ave. can be.
COVID has upended our lives in ways that none of us may have predicted. At CRI-Help, we’re continuously grappling with public health and safety updates, new laws and regulations, doing our best to keep clients safe, and all the while recognizing that the CRI-Help we have known and loved for so many years can’t help but feel a little different. No outside meetings. No sponsor passes. No privilege card passes. 14-day quarantine at admission. What is this place?!
For those lucky enough to weather the seemingly insurmountable challenge of spending their first 14 days in CRI-Help in a room with their admission cohort (FYI, we admit people in pods now), we think you’ll come to see that the bones of the CRI-Help you know and love remain strong. There’s a tremendous sense of unity among the house. We rely on one another. We pull each other up. We recognize achievements – someone just walked by my office and told me this was the first time he’s ever been clean for 60 days. COVID or not – THAT IS A BIG DEAL. We recognize this is a crazy time, and it feels like we are all able to show just a little more love because empathy is global.
Yes, COVID has changed the landscape of CRI-Help. If you’ve been a client here before, treatment isn’t what it was like a year or two ago. But at our core, CRI-Help remains unchanged. We believe unabashedly that recovery is possible. We prioritize clients getting sponsors and taking the steps. We are here for you whether this is your first time in treatment, or your tenth. We do not judge, and we welcome you to try something new. There is something miraculous here, and it still works.