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Recovery Reporter 2021 Spring

03/21/2021

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to 2021 SPRING

 

 

WELCOME TO SPRING!

Spring is here. It has a special feel to it like no other, as we are emerging from a yearlong hibernation. For many of us, the last year was a good test of our RI practice. Maybe we discovered that our practice has gone from being symptom first aid to an integral part of the way we think. It's like when you quit smoking and you have all of these props. But over time the thought of wanting to smoke starts to fade and you find you have new and healthier habits. The same is true for mental health. Through patient, persistent practice, we learned to give up temper and developed mental and emotional habits leading to peace and health.

Social wellness is defined as having positive connections with others. It promotes both emotional and mental health. Sharing our stories is part of that connection. But last year we were told to cut ourselves off from our regular social contacts, and isolation and loneliness became all too average. It was our good fortune as part of a connected community that we were able to keep meeting remotely and sharing our stories.

We are a world community with a common language and a shared story of hope. A special thank you to all those who contributed, we are grateful for the recent outpouring of stories for this edition of the Reporter, and we look forward to reading more of your stories in the future.

 

 — Wishing you a happy, healthy Spring Season —

Endorse! Your editors, Helen and Dave

 

Mark your calendars for the first BOOK STUDY RETREAT!! May 2021 with SPECIAL guest speaker!!

 

Two Sundays, May16 and 23rd, 2021, at 2pm Pacific and Arizona, 3pm Mountain, 4pm Central, and 5pm Eastern. If you DIDN'T receive an email for the last Book Study, please email davesdecafe@gmail.com to receive the conference call number and code. You will receive a reminder email the week before.

Details to be announced in May 2021. (Please click this link davesdecafe@gmail.com to be added to the list, if you are not already on it.)

 

ADDED TO OUR BOOKSTORE!!

Better. Mental. Health. Nature Journal

We heard you! The new and improved Nature Journal has thicker paper and beautiful pictures for better coloring and doodling and journaling. A new joint project of The Conservation Foundation and RI, the book combines cognitive-behavioral mental health tools with images of nature from northern Illinois parks. Find relief during these stressful times with a walk in the woods along with thoughtful and calming tools. Just released, the 88-page journal is a handy size for carrying on a hike. Home-bound readers can enjoy full-color photos of inspiring scenery and close-ups of fl owers and butterflies.

The book retails for $18.99 and is available on Amazon and the RI bookstore. Proceeds from sales will benefi t outreach programs of each organization.

 

 

 

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News from Headquarters

 

 

2020 Annual Report:  Pivot

: the action of turning around a point, the action of pivoting

: a person or thing that is central or important to someone

A year ago, the buzzword was “Pivot.”  Every organization, business and family had to change course due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Recovery International was no different. At the beginning of the year we had plans to move in one direction but, suddenly, we had to leave our offices, close community meetings, and shift to running more meetings by conference call and Zoom.

We are so proud of Recovery International’s staff, our area and group leaders, our members, our board—everyone who rallied to rapid changes.  You are critical to our mission—you are who we serve, and who bolster us!

This spring we are moving forward once again, on to NEXT STEPS. Discussions of resuming in-person meetings are in the works!

 

 

Yes, we had to pivot last year.  But a pivot is also the central point we move around. At Recovery, this is Dr. Low’s work and the Recovery Method, which are at the center of all we do.  So, when the external environment changes drastically, we know that wherever we turn or wherever we end up, Dr. Low’s work will anchor us and will provide stability while everything whirls around us. 

We are grateful for the training and the tools we have learned, for the ways we use these tools to cope with trivialities, and for the ability to recognize the things that are out of our control.

Thank you for your support this past year. With the help of all our members, donors, leaders, staff and volunteers we were able to pivot to meet new challenges, and to discover new ways to fulfill our mission to help people lead more peaceful and productive lives.

With warm regards and deep appreciation,

Joanne Lampey, President

Sandra K. Wilcoxon, CEO

 

A special warm thank you to all of our generous donors!  Click here for our 2020 Annual Report nd Donor Honor Roll.

 

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Celebrating Mental Health Awareness month with gratitude for the gifts we were given by Dr. Low! We can maintain peace and calm during trivialities and more challenging times as well. Mental Health Awareness Month, observed every May since 1949, was established by Mental Health America.

 

R.E.N.E.W. Recovery for Mental Health Month

How will you take part in Mental Health Month? I had an idea while talking with another long-term member of RI recently and shared how sometimes it seems like we put RI practice on “autopilot.” While we do want to strive for the ability to “trigger spot” when we get symptoms, if we let ourselves lapse into just cruising along with our practice on “autopilot,” we miss opportunities to see our progress and to endorse for our efforts. We can renew our recovery practice by focusing on the word: R.E.N.E.W.

R - Read. Do we take the time to read the Chapter assigned for the week prior to the meeting? Do we read from Recovery’s books/literature between meetings? Do we read the Weekly Wisdom that comes to our email (for members)? Have we signed up for the Daily Spot emails that come by email daily?

E - Examples. Do we give examples at the meetings we attend? Are we aware of the times we are “subconsciously” using the method (that “autopilot”)? If so, can we formulate that experience into an example to give at a meeting? Have we considered sharing an example by sending it in to the Recovery Reporter so that others might benefit from it?

N - No sabotage. Are there areas where I might be sabotaging my own efforts for Better Mental Health? If so, what sabotaging habit will I commit to working on? When I endorse, do I endorse without sabotaging (i.e. “I did a good, average job here, but...)? If I am a habitual endorsing “but-knocker,” can I adopt a sincere way to endorse myself?

E - Endorse. How often do I endorse myself? Dr. Low taught that, “we get better in proportion to how much we endorse.” Can I commit to finding something each day of Mental Health Month to endorse for? Would I find it helpful to start an “Endorsing Journal” and record my daily endorsement so I can see my gains?

W- Welcome someone new! Am I willing to share my Recovery story with others? Who do I know that might benefit from the RI method? Do I keep a brochure with me, or can I text a link to someone in case I find myself in a conversation where I could share the RI program? Am I welcoming and encouraging to newcomers who come to any meetings I attend?

With a little effort, and a lot of patience towards ourselves, we can make this May a Mental Health Month that will truly help us achieve Better.Mental.Health!

Lynette B., Slack Chat and Group Leader, Area 35, North and Central Florida

 

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Power Your Mind - RI's Exciting New Teen Program!

 

 

Jay P. from Area 20 signed up for the facilitator training for the new Power Your Mind course. He wrote, "The course is for people between 13 and 24 years of age. It is a seven-week course. We have this exciting workbook to give to the teens and a leader’s handbook to give me the structure that Dr. Low’s daughters want this program to be run."

"We went through a lot of role playing.  Each member was given a chapter to do and we watched how the others did their assigned chapters.  At the end of the training we were told to do our Power Your Mind program with our style, incorporating all of the tools, tips and tricks that we learned in this program. The training was exhilarating. I look forward to sharing this exciting program with young people." 

Recovery International (RI) launched Power Your Mind: Tools to Build Resilience in November. This new self-help workbook is geared to middle school through college age students and is an introduction to the RI Method and cognitive behavioral tools. (CLICK HERE to continue reading).

 

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Stories of Hope

 

 

 

My name is Maryanne Harrison, and I have been blessed to be not only a member of RI, but also an assistant leader and leader since 2006. I am a nervous patient who has setbacks, which we know is average. My big/average setbacks can lead to hospitalizations and I had a big/average setback in September 2020. My doctor wanted me to voluntarily sign myself into the hospital for inpatient-treatment, but due to both COVID and my history of symptoms, I refused to go. In January of 2021, I received a warning sheet from my pharmacy and I discovered that my symptoms were due to a prescription allergy medication. Of the twelve warning side effects, I had ten. My doctor, of course, had me stop and within 2 days I began to feel better. It has been a month now in February 2021, and I am happy to report I am back to average.

This is just the background of my story of hope. The real story of hope is that even though I was in a setback, the Monday night telephone meeting loved me through my symptoms. When I couldn't even spot on an example and had to pass, they were supportive. The meeting has many thirty-year veterans of the method. I was constantly learning new spots from their vast wealth of knowledge. I write this story to express my gratitude to RI and all the members who continue to attend phone meetings and zoom meetings during this difficult time.

Endorsing! Thank you again, Maryanne H., CT

 

 

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Stories of Hope Audio series

 

 

CLICK HERE to listen to this episode of our SoundCloud audio, where newcomer Dickson talks about conquering PANICS. The RECOVERY practice has given him hope to become an average member of society.

Tune in to our Audio Interviewing Series with members and special guests here!

If you know someone who could benefit from the RI Method or a professional who might recommend us to clients, please copy this link into an email and send it to them: https://soundcloud.com/recovery-international/

 

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Wisdom of Dr. Low

In 1952, Dr. Low developed the example format. Shortly after, people began mailing in their examples to the Recovery News and have been doing so ever since. You can read those first examples on pages 105-132 in Selections from Dr. Low’s Works.

Sharing our stories in print with the Recovery community, we not only endorse ourselves, but we also keep this important tradition alive, as Dr. Low would have wished us to do. We can imagine Dr. Low commenting, "The example speaks for itself. It is to the point, brief and well modeled after the official pattern."

EXAMPLES OF RECOVERY PRACTICE

Chicago, Illinois - Ann L. [Decision to Bear Discomfort]
Ann L.:

"On our way to church one Sunday my husband told me he would have to stay after the services to attend a meeting. I instantly became angry. I told him he should have let me know about the meeting earlier as I had a roast, with potatoes in the oven and had asked our daughter and her husband to come for dinner promptly at 12:30.

My husband suggested that I drive the car home. He said that he would come home with one of the other members of the congregation. To this I replied, in temper, "But you know how I hate to drive in heavy traffic.'

At this point we were about to enter the church so our discussion was terminated. After we had taken our seats, I noticed that I had symptoms-hand tremors, preoccupation, and I felt very self-conscious. Realizing, then, that I had been indulging in temper, I made up my mind that I would solidly reject the idea that my husband was wrong for not informing me earlier about the meeting. I decided that I would 'bear the discomfort' of driving home alone and of keeping my husband's dinner warm for him until he arrived.

Within a few minutes after I decided to discard my temper, the symptoms left and I was able to appreciate the services. Before Recovery, I would have vacillated back and forth between blaming my husband and not blaming him and the symptoms would have gone on and on."

Dr. Low's Comment:

None because the example speaks for itself. It is to the point, brief and well modeled after the official pattern.

From Selections from Dr. Low's Works, page 119

 

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Recovery Examples

 

I can excuse myself rather than accuse myself for the sake of my mental health

I was on my way to meet and escort a client to a medical appointment. Because I was running late, I worried the client would not be ready when I arrived and we would be late for his appointment. That's when I began to work myself up.

I had shallow breathing. Fearful thoughts: we're going to be late for the doctor's appointment and I am going to get in trouble with my employer.

Fearful temper-- I blamed myself for being late again and making things difficult for myself and my client. Angry temper-- at the client's staff anticipating that they would delay us by not having him ready on time. Same about the client that he'll not be ready. Tools: There is no temper without judgement. I can excuse myself rather than accuse myself for the sake of my mental health. I became group-minded and commanded my muscles: I called to let them know I would arrive in 10 minutes. The nurse said he was ready. I commanded my muscles and ordered a taxi while en route to the client's home to save us time. When you are in duality any decision steadies you. I endorsed for controlling my impulse for self-blame and for behaving in a responsible and cultured manner toward myself and my client. I endorsed for applying the tools of the practice and making my mental health my supreme purpose, not a subordinate goal.

Before I had my Recovery training, I would have done nothing to diffuse the situation and let the internal pressure build up. I would have had magical thinking that somehow I would arrive on time. I would have walked faster and faster getting angrier and angrier, and I would have put on a happy face pretending nothing was wrong, or I would have been in a sour self-punishing mood all day.

Victor G.

 

Treat my mental health as a business, not a game

My therapist forgot we had an appointment this Wednesday – I texted her about it and we rescheduled for this Friday. Today, I forgot I have a work Zoom meeting scheduled for Friday and texted her. She told me I should get a calendar and write things like this down. In the last few minutes she and I exchanged more text messages, and I did not read her last one because I am in temper and symptoms.

Physical feelings I experienced: rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath. Mental feelings: angry and fearful thoughts, confusion, disturbing impulses, and raised feelings.

I spotted fearful temper in the form of worry. I spotted angry temper in the form of resentment. The Recovery International tools I used: Decide plan and act; Any decision I make will steady me; Behave in a cultured manner. Express my feelings not my temper; Treat my mental health as business, not a game. Play the waiting game.

I self-endorses for the effort: anytime I use RI I congratulate myself.

Before my Recovery International training, I would’ve called her and yelled, or would’ve kept talking about this to several people; I would’ve worked myself up not down. Now, I made a decision to not read her last texts until I could write this example and/or make a 5-minute phone call.

Anthony S.

 

Fearful anticipation is often worse than realization

I was on a couple of recent zoom meetings when my computer decided to crash! I became worked up. Symptoms: lowered feelings, palpitations, head pressure, tenseness in neck and back.

Thoughts: Why is this happening when I am in the middle of an important meeting? What if this continues to keep happening whenever I go on a zoom meeting? What is wrong with this computer? Fearful that I might have to buy a new computer and money is a strong link to more symptoms. I have to bear the discomfort of finding out what is wrong with the computer. Impulse. Stop using a computer altogether. Spots: We know that we don’t know. Drop the judgment against the computer it is not aiming at me - do not let outer environment (OE) cross over the bridge of temper into my inner environment. Who am I to expect OE to tiptoe around me? Do the thing I hate and fear to do and that will be the death of the fear. I endorsed for calling the computer repair person, for taking things in part acts, for working the problem and taking care of my mental health.

Before RI, I would not have the tools to work this down, so I would have been anxious for a long period of time. I would have complained to everyone and I now know to talk it up is to work it up. After RI, I used my tools right away, controlled my speech muscles, and realized this is a triviality compared to my mental health. This past year with the Covid virus has been very hard on me. I do not know what I would have done without my zoom meetings and my spotting to get me through. I used several spots during this time such as: Fearful anticipation is often worse than realization. Do the thing I hate and fear to do and that will be the death of the fear,. Anticipate joyfully or not at all. Possibilities vs. probabilities. Is it possible to get sick yes, is it probable no. Do things in part acts. Endorse for each part act!

There has been a huge improvement in my life this year. Without these spots, I probably would not have attempted to go to stores etc. and would have stayed in the house.

Endorsing!

Reona Z.

Phasic, not basic

Nature has always been a source of joy and comfort to me, and especially now. Here in San Diego a tree called an ornamental pear tree, blooms in February. It has beautiful white blossoms similar to apple blossoms. I was enjoying their return this year especially due to our more restricted life at this time. I live in building # 1 of an apartment complex. Residents were notified that tree trimming would take place by building # 2. There are trees planted between the two buildings. One day I went outside and found that those trees were being trimmed. I began to work myself up. I had a rise in feelings and lowered feelings, loss of spontaneity. My thoughts were, “Oh no, they shouldn’t be doing this now. It’s the peak of the blooming season. I look forward to this. What’s the matter with them?” I expressed my temperamental reaction to someone, with no response.

Within a short time, I started to spot. My angry temper was directed at the workers and the person who placed the order. Their timing was bad and this should have been postponed. If the outer environment was wrong, that would make me right. The workers weren’t wrong they were just following job instructions. I wasn’t wrong for the initial response. I wasn’t wrong to have this disappointment. I took the total view, versus the partial view. These trees weren’t as pretty, but there were plenty more in the community to see and enjoy. It was phasic, not basic. I laughed at myself and decided not to take myself so seriously. Before R.I., I wouldn’t have found any humor and would have taken the whole it all more seriously.


Nancy C.

Click on the icons below for more examples and stories from RI members.

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If you have questions, email info@recoveryinternational.org

 

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Roaming the Globe

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INDIA

 

RI member Padma G., from Pune, India, shares a poem and some tools!

Hey!! Wake up little girl

Its morning…

Wipe your tears

Take a deep breath

And sing a song…

Which you want to sing

You saw many colors

Gray…white…blue and red

Hmmmm…Sometimes black

Which color to do you want?

Hey!! Little girl

Your life is not a silent song

It’s a happy song…ever…forever

 

1. Helplessness is not hopelessness.

2. A setback is part of life. I am an average person.

3. Changing our thoughts from insecure thoughts to secure thoughts.

4. A decision terminates panic.

5. Retraining the brain.

 


Area 25

 

 

RI is happy to cooperate with a nonprofit group called Honor Flight San Diego. Honor Flight San Diego works to coordinate the flights of US military veterans from San Diego to Washington, DC, and again home to San Diego, CA over a long weekend at no cost to them, while showing them some memorials and landmarks in Washington, DC.

Letters written from volunteers in thanks to the US Vets from all over are presented to them as part of the experience. We encourage RI volunteers to write kind letters of appreciation to these lucky veterans thanking them for their years of service, the commitment they make to military life and for serving the USA.

Send your letters of appreciation to:

Honor Flight San Diego
9423 Keck Court
San Diego, CA 92129

P.S. - A warm homecoming ceremony is planned in honor of their commitment to military service upon their return to San Diego on October 1-3, 2021.

Expect to see and greet military personnel at San Diego International Airport in full dress, flag waving, cheering and singing. Bring a sign saying, Welcome Home! or Thank you! Volunteers are encouraged to pass out RI Veterans Program brochures and help circulate a sign-up sheet to the homecoming crowd to get the word out about Dr. Low's Four Step Method. Fundraising and donation information to Honor Flight San Diego are available on their website. https://www.honorflightsandiego.org/

Volunteer opportunities to fly along with the selected veterans as "Guardians,” are also available on the above listed website. The RI Veterans Program brings cognitive behavioral self-help to our US veterans and their families, providing a resource for coping with PTSD, low grade depression, anxiety issues and the trivialities of everyday life.

Warmest regards and thanks!

Please contact me with any questions, Scott Bushbaum, Veterans Program Committee scott.bushbaum@gmail.com

 

 Area 20

 

Area 20 is enjoying visitors and newcomers from around the globe.

  • For some time now we have had the pleasure of people dropping in from Pune, India, where they have a very active Recovery community. (See Padma G.'s poem in India news.) Chinmay P. is getting a masters in counseling and is planning to facilitate Recovery groups with his clients. He is also an avid avian photographer. See his photos here).
  • Newcomer Dickson, from Kampala, Uganda, found our Wednesday 6:30pm meeting through Meetup. He was suffering from panic and insomnia. Dickson is attending meetings and reading Dr. Low's works, and he reports that only after a few weeks of Recovery practice, his symptoms are subsiding and he's getting lots of sleep! Dickson is featured in our Stories of Hope Audio section. Tune in to listen here.
  • A funny thing happened to meeting leader Barbara S., of our Livermore Sunday 2:00pm meeting. When her live meeting closed, she switched to a phone meeting, but she kept getting calls asking for the Zoom ID. So finally she decided to switch to Zoom. It was later that we discovered a mistake in the temporary remote meeting list. It listed her meeting as a Zoom meeting. Barbara bore the discomfort of learning this technology and now she has lots of new RI friends. You can join Barbara's meeting by calling her at 916-335-8836 to get her meeting ID.

 

 

  Area 130

 

Outreach Task Force News

Early in 2021, Recovery International’s Outreach Task Force had the pleasure and privilege of presenting a Webex Powerpoint introduction and panel demonstration to the New York State Office of Mental Health Regional Communications Committee. Steven Ferradino, RI’s online manager, led the presentation, which included Board President, Joanne Lampey, Lisa Garcia, Project Manager, Tony Ferrigno, Area #130 Team Leader and Advisor, Holly Weiss, Area #130 Team and Group Leader, and Robert Silver, Area #220 Assistant Area and Group Leader. The program was well received by the three New York State Mental Health Regional Advocacy Specialists and other Regional Communications Committee members in attendance. Additionally, RI is now listed in the database of NYC Well, New York City’s clearinghouse of mental health resources.

Other ongoing initiatives of the Outreach Task Force are soliciting and compiling contact information of mental health professionals and organizations, youth groups, and US military veterans and their families.

We welcome every opportunity to spread the word of RI. To contribute, please email judi@recoveryinternational.org.

 

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Members Corner

In recognition of our long-time Members

 

Dear Editors,

I am writing to share my story of my 43 years and counting as a Recovery member and leader and how much it has helped me per your request at last night's leader's meeting. I found Recovery in May of 1978 when I went to my first meeting in Harrisburg, PA where I live. Our then Leader was the late Bill Kelly, who brought the Recovery program to our area in January 1978. My first years I was Bill's Assistant Leader until he retired in 1985. From 1985 until 1989, I was the Co-Leader of our group with Dave Long, another member until we closed the meeting in October 1989 due to a lack of attendance. In August 1991, Dave and I met with John Sebastian, a long-time and original member of our group. John and I decided to restart our group. John led our group until he retired in March 2008 when I became the Leader and have been ever since. I know how much Recovery has helped me. When I came to Recovery in 1978, I was a recluse and emotional cripple and even though I worked full time I wasn't able to do much and had few if any friends. I didn't take care of myself either. I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in 1972, a neurological movement disorder that I had since I was a child, but no one knew what it was so that really added to my problems. Thanks to Recovery not only have I been our Group Leader, I am also our area 155 Team Leader and Secretary, neither of which would have been possible before Recovery. Our meeting now is a conference call weekly meeting and everyone really enjoys it. This past January 2021 our group here in Harrisburg, PA celebrated its 43rd birthday and this May 8, 2021, I will celebrate 43 years with Recovery as well. I think am the only original member of our group still here. Wow! I am proud of that. I know how much I have grown and learned how to make my mental health a business not a game. I just wanted to share this with you. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Rick R., RI Group Leader and Area 155 Team Leader/Secretary

Harrisburg, PA

 


I am a longtime member of RI, and this past year has been most challenging, not only because of the pandemic, but because I was faced with two very traumatic situations. First, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and then my father was hospitalized with pneumonia. I was not allowed to go with my husband for his chemo treatments, nor was I allowed to visit my father in the hospital. This worked me up, but I spotted and have been spotting to worry with reflective calm, I have no control over the outer environment, the situation is phasic but not basic, and to anticipate joyfully or not at all. My husband has a good prognosis and my father is recuperating at home. I am very thankful to Recovery for helping me to deal with these problems, whereas before Recovery I would have been crying all the time and wallowing in self-pity.

Lesley S., grateful RI member

 

Hello RI Family,

Here are my lyrics for Just Be Hip! Listen here: “Just Be Hip” 

Words and music by Jack Nalbandian

 

Just Be Hip!

(And Get Your Membership)

Just be hip and get your membership

Repeat

What has Recovery done for you?

(Just be hip and get your membership)

The many times Recovery’s pulled you through

(Just be hip and get your membership)

 The tools do work let’s share them now

(Just be hip and get your membership)

By becoming a member or renewing your vow

(Just be hip and get your membership)

Don’t delay and just go online

Or send in a check, that’ll be fine

Or call in the office and drop them a line and

Just be hip and get your membership

Repeat

 

Thank you for your service!

 

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In Memoriam

 Suzanne Selby

Following a decade living with Parkinson’s disease, and after a fall and hip fracture, Suzanne Selby died at Metropolitan Hospital on December 11th in her 83rd year. She was a truly good person, and is deeply mourned by her family and friends. Suzanne was loved by and was a loving wife to Stuart, and to her children: Peter and his wife Janet, and her widowed daughter Rosemary. She was a dedicated grandmother and was loved by her sister Victoria and her husband Dan, and by her brother Stephen and his wife Sheryl, and by her nephews and nieces.

Suzanne was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, and held a BS and an MA from Columbia University, where she met and married Stuart when they were graduate students at Columbia. She taught Junior High School English in the inner city until she came to Saskatoon with Stuart in 1964. Suzanne took up a social work career, and served at the Children’s Aid Society until studying for and receiving a BSW and an MSW from the University of Windsor. She completed the last twenty years of her career as a talented child and family therapist at the Regional Children’s Centre at Windsor Western Hospital.

Suzanne developed many lasting friendships in RI. She will be much missed. .

 

Janis Feldhousen

Last November, RI lost one of its most dedicated members, Janis Feldhousen. Janis was 93 when she passed away from natural causes in Niagara Falls, NY. Janis joined Recovery in 1963 after growing up in Nebraska and moving to Niagara Falls with her husband and children. She had 9 children when she suffered a debilitating nervous breakdown. Her condition was very serious and her physicians at the time told her husband that she would most likely remain hospitalized for the rest of her life. There was a Recovery group meeting at the hospital and her doctor suggested she try to learn its methods. Within a few years Janis was back home with her family and on her way to good mental health. She soon became an assistant leader, then group leader. She continued leading meetings and remained active in RI until her death. Janis served as the area leader upstate New York for decades. She also became part of the organizational structure in Chicago, serving on the Board of Directors, leader training committees, and she traveled extensively throughout the country and overseas to conduct leader training conferences. Janis will be deeply missed, but never forgotten!

 

 

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Call for submissions!

Have you or someone you know dedicated 25 or more years to practicing the RI Method?

Help us honor our longtime members here in Members Corner! We are going to feature our long-serving heroes in each issue of the Reporter.

Send us:

  • A photo
  • A short description
    • What challenge/problem did RI solve for you?
    • What are your favorite spots?
    • Why would you recommend RI?
  • Highlight the meeting you attended (City, day, time and any leadership roles taken on)

Please also submit your Stories of Hope, Examples and local news for Roaming the Globe for the next Reporter.

Recovery Reporter Editors:

David W, Editor in Chief
Helen P, Managing Editor

Submission guidelines:

We would like thank all of our contributors, without whom the Recovery Reporter would not be possible. Before sending submissions, please read the following submission guidelines.

  • Please keep submissions as short as possible, roughly 3 paragraphs in length, which is approximately 300 words.
  • Please identify all submissions with first name and last name initial only, area number (if you know it), town, and state or country.
  • Photos: Please if possible submit clear photos whenever possible.
  • Please no bold or italics.
  • Please adhere to the deadlines for each issue.
  • When the volume of submissions exceeds our page limits, it may be unfortunately necessary to exclude some submissions.
  • Please send only submissions pertinent to the Recovery Reporter

PRIVACY: To protect the privacy and confidentiality of all members, please use only first name and the initial of the last name of people. Please be aware that the content you submit is NOT private because we cannot control how it is shared and therefore it may be accessible to the public.

The views and opinions expressed by authors of articles appearing in the Reporter are those of the author of those articles and they are not necessarily the views and opinions of Recovery International or anyone affiliated with Recovery International.

Email your submission to editor@recoveryinternational.org.

Mailed items should be sent to Headquarters:

Recovery International
1415 W. 22nd St., Tower Floor
Oak Brook IL 60523

 

Reminder

If your email or address changes please be sure to notify us. If you are a Canadian member you should also notify Cindy Hutchins at purple74@xplornet.com.

If you, or someone you know, is a paid member and isn’t receiving the Reporter, please let us know at info@recoveryinternational.org

 

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