“Recovery has taught me so much about unconditionally loving people. The most important part of that unconditional love is meeting them where they’re at.”
Randy Grimes, Tampa Bay Buccaneer NFL Veteran
National Recovery Month
According to The Association For Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), beginning in 1989, “National Recovery Month is a national observance held every September to educate Americans that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life.”
“Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery, just as we celebrate health improvements made by those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. This observance reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.”
This year, National Recovery Month is adopting 2021’s theme of “Every Person. Every Family. Every Community” as the official tagline because Recovery is POSSIBLE for everyone. Although we all have different journeys, no one is alone in the journey through recovery. We are all in this together.
On the Field of Desperation to Addiction Deliverance
In honor of Recovery Month, we’ve decided to highlight one of our favorite episodes on Positive Recovery MD, featuring Randy Grimes. Randy Grimes is a Baylor University Graduate, an award-winning 11-year veteran of the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is this year’s event speaker for the Big Texas Rally for Recovery this upcoming October.
Spending nearly 20+ years battling an addiction to painkillers developed while treating career-related injuries, Randy now uses his inspiring story of recovery and his 10+ years in the addictions industry. As an Interventionist and founding advocate at Athletes In Recovery, Randy helps victims recover from drug and alcohol abuse.
As Randy shares his personal recovery journey with humility and honesty, he transforms the narrative to focus on prevention, intervention, and treatment for substance use disorders and other health challenges. One of the most important lessons Randy learned on the field and throughout his recovery is the importance of unconditional love.
How to Love Unconditionally Despite Addiction
If you have a loved one who struggles with an alcohol or drug addiction, it’s not always an easy road. So often, there is a deeper-rooted pain or trauma that has never been brought to light. When going through painful experiences, especially as a child, it’s easy to suppress unwanted feelings by covering them up with substances. But no matter how hard the road or how long the journey is, the most important thing we can do for our loved ones is to love them unconditionally. Loving them at their best and loving through even the toughest of times.
It’s important to encourage our loved one’s growth and positive transformation. By celebrating their strengths and wins, they’re reminded that they are worth fighting for. They recognize that they are worthy of love. More often than not, they have a tough enough time loving themselves, much less knowing others love them too. But when we extend kindness, grace, and compassion despite their shortcomings, they begin to learn how to apply these forms of love to themselves. It’s not about loving them if they get better; it’s about loving them while they’re healing. And the best place to heal is when they feel safe enough to do so.
The best thing you can do for your loved one is to love them through the pain and love them through their seemingly worst and most bleak moments by shedding light on their darkest days. They may not always see it at the exact moment, but the more we offer our loved ones hope, the easier it becomes for them to heal and recover.
Community Resources
Big Texas Rally for Recovery – Houston 2022
Interested in attending the Big Texas Rally for Recovery?
“For nearly a decade, the Big Texas Rally for Recovery has delivered a recovery-centered program that celebrates the recovery of individuals, families, and entire communities across Texas.”
On October 1, 2022, we invite you to join us in celebrating the gift of recovery.
Here’s a little bit of what you can expect this upcoming weekend.
This FREE event affords all those in attendance FREE admission to the Houston Botanic Gardens and all those in RECOVERY. Live music, food trucks, over 60 exhibitors, and guest speakers, including Randy Grimes. And don’t forget, we have several fun activities for the whole family as well, including face painting and the KIDS Zone Lego Exhibit. You can expect all this and MORE at the Houston Botanic Garden from 10 am to 4 pm. We can’t wait to see you there!
Get your FREE tickets here!
In Need of Care?
Do you have a loved one in need of addiction treatment but are unsure where to begin or what type of treatment they may need? We are happy to assist you and your loved one every step of the way. We invite you to call us at (877) 697-1383 to learn more about our 14 locations, from Houston to Austin’s Hill Country, and our full continuum of care, ranging from Detox through Aftercare. Together, you and your loved one can THRIVE in recovery.