A Parent's Story >> Arriving in OC >> You Can Love Yourself >> High Expectations >> Recovery from CA to TX
When our now 21 year old daughter, Amber, boarded the plane to leave her primary care facility, we had no idea how important the next few months would be to her recovery. This was all new to us, and we naively had thought that 28-30 days was the “cure” for addiction. How wrong we were, and how grateful we are for Safe Harbor. The seed had been planted in primary care and now the difficult part of transitioning back into the real world was beginning. We were full of fear and anxiety for our daughter’s future, and Velvet and her staff at Safe Harbor helped to put our minds at ease as they welcomed our daughter with love and respect and made themselves available to us for our many questions and concerns as well as updates on her progress. Amber quickly made friends and became a part of the Safe Harbor family. When we visited her, we were so pleased to see the genuine care and concern the girls shared with one another.
In fact, we were equally blown away and touched by the honesty and openness they displayed. Amber completed her 90 days in treatment and, like many girls who come to Safe Harbor, went onto sober living. She did well for a time, but then due to a long term eating disorder becoming active once again, she chose to leave Safe Harbor against the recommendations of the staff rather than seek the treatment she needed. We were heartbroken and knew it was only a matter of time before she fell back into substance abuse, which she eventually did. We were beside ourselves and wanted our daughter to get the help she needed but knew that she also had to want that help herself. After a time, a crisis arose which really was the miracle that was needed to open up the opportunity for further treatment. We didn't’t know, however, what type of treatment she needed or where to send her if she did agree to go. Velvet was a huge help to us during this time. She recommended and called a treatment facility for us that was perfect for Amber’s needs; and, miracle of miracles, Amber agreed to go! While there, she stayed in regular touch with Velvet by telephone. After 90 days of primary inpatient treatment, Amber came through the doors of Safe Harbor a second time as a new person who was ready to truly work on her issues. She completed a modified version of the 90 day program at Safe Harbor and again went into sober living. During the telephone calls and visits that followed, it was apparent that she was certainly growing through the groups and classes she was attending but even more so through applying what she was learning in the relationships she was developing with the other young women in her home. Where every adversity had previously been met with drama and despair, a new maturity and sense of patience was developing. And as always, the gender specific environment gave her the space and support she needed to continue working on body image and relationship issues.
In sober living, our daughter had the opportunity to develop further skills that would enable her toward independence as she continued to receive the support and love of the Safe Harbor staff and the friendships she had made. She has recently celebrated 14 months of recovery, and we are so proud of her. She has just moved into her first apartment not far from Safe Harbor and is working and beginning to look into returning to school at the nearby community college. What we have learned is that there are no guarantees with this disease. What we are assured of, however, is that where ever our daughter’s journey leads her from here, she not only has her family of origin, she also has the Safe Harbor family to love and support her along the way. What a huge blessing that is. Thank you Safe Harbor for being the amazing place that you are.
Sherise & Glenn (Amber’s parents)
