She’s the goad, the instigator,
the person at Muskingum Behavioral Health who gets those recovering from
addiction into group discussions, out for road trips, and onto the gymnasium
floor for healthy exercise. She publishes F.R.O.G. News each month (F.R.O.G.
stands for Fun Recovery Organized Gatherings), and she is the energetic impetus
that makes participating in those events attractive, fun, and realistic. She is
a voice of hope—You CAN do it!—in a
difficult and challenging enterprise.
She is Stephanie Hinds, and she
knows what she’s talking about.
“I drank and drugged for over
twenty years,” says Hinds. “I had to completely lose everything in order to want
treatment.”
One of the things Hinds lost,
while using, was day-to-day life with her children.
“I decided to get treatment
because I was sick and tired of living the way I was. I knew I needed help. I
missed my kids and I missed myself. I didn’t even recognize the person I had
become. I used to live and I lived to use…I was also on felony papers and I
didn’t want to go to prison. I wanted a new life.”
Addiction had changed Hinds physically, as it changes all of those who fall
prey to the disease. “It is well documented by research that the brain is
changed by opiates, alcohol, and other addictive substances,” writes Dr. Vicki
Whitacre, medical director of the Muskingum County Health Department.
“Addiction becomes a chronic relapsing disease with the brain not able to make
normal decisions and respond in the way it did before the addicting
substance(s) took over.”
Stephanie Hinds demonstrates the
truth of Dr. Whitacre’s words. Her brain HAD changed—her goal, while addicted,
was solely to obtain more drugs to use. And even after deciding to get
treatment, the road was hard.
“I successfully completed
outpatient treatment [only] after multiple attempts,” she says now.
Once successfully in recovery,
Hinds set herself a challenging road. She enrolled at Zane State College in the
Social Work Assisting program. She wanted to get credentialed so she could help
others in recovery achieve the success she enjoys. Her life in recovery is, she
says, completely different than her life while addicted.
“I
graduated from Zane State College with my associate’s in Social Work. I also
hold my credentials as a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant, an Ohio
Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant, and my favorite, my Ohio Peer
Recovery Support certification. I work at Muskingum Behavioral Health. I
help clients in any way I can.”
“Stephanie has made a lasting
impression on so many people. She was
the student in class who was not afraid to challenge a grade, analyze the
reason for an assignment, or explain that the real world is different from the
information presented in a textbook,” says Social Work Assisting program
director Stacie Curtis. “Stephanie balanced school, work, family life, and the
Social Work Club while she was a student at Zane State College.
“Stephanie was one of the first
to volunteer her time to assist others in need.
She was, and is, a mentor to her peers with her bold and gregarious
personality. Stephanie encourages others
to obtain an education, and she personally accompanies students to the campus
to ensure the potential student obtains the information he or she needs and
meets the faculty.
“She is not afraid to push others
to complete tasks that are difficult, and she is a glowing example of how hard
work pays off. I am proud of Stephanie
and the sacrifices she has made, the challenges she has overcome, and the
support she has become to so many in recovery!”
Steve Carrel, CEO of Muskingum
Behavioral Health--MBH,--agrees. “While she was a student at Zane State,
Stephanie was in a class I taught,” he says. “She was an excellent
student, very inquisitive, always providing input and stories. She told
me at that time she would be working at MBH in the near future.”
MBH hired Hinds once she earned her associate’s degree. “She is doing an excellent
job – coordinating recovery events, participating on the local Citizens Circle
for people returning from prison, helping with the Friends and Family group,
and basically anything else we ask of her,” Carrel says now. “She is a real
advocate for recovery!!!”
In
fact, Carrel says, MBH works to extend Hinds’ sphere of influence. “We have
been working to get Stephanie into Marysville Prison to work on re-entry for
women there who will be returning to Muskingum County. Unable to
make the connection, Stephanie attended a meeting with Gary Mohr, Director of
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. Stephanie, not one to miss
an opportunity to promote recovery, approached the Director, explained what she
wanted to do at Marysville, and had a call from the prison to schedule times
for her to go there. Stephanie,” says Carrel, “is a loud, proud person in
recovery.”
She
is proof, too, that recovery is possible…and that people in recovery can go on to
be physically and mentally healthy, to lead worthwhile lives, and to make a positive
difference to their families, their friends, and their communities. It isn’t
easy, Hinds says, but it can be done.
“For
others seeking recovery, I would recommend finding whatever treatment works for
them. There are many pathways to recovery.” And it’s not over once the program
is completed, says Stephanie Hinds. “I live recovery every day. I not only work
with the 12 steps, I live by them. I am very active in the local AA and NA. I
have a sponsor, and I sponsor others.”
********
For information on treatment,
please contact Steve Carrel (scarrel@mbhealth.org;
740-454-1266) or
the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board (http://www.mhrs.org/; 740-454-8557) for information
and referral. You can reach the Crisis Hotline at 1-800-344-5818. Find out
about Genesis Healthcare’s substance abuse recovery programs at 740-454-5927 or
800-322-4762, extension 5927.
********
Recovery is Beautiful image from http://www.recoveryisbeautiful.org/
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