� Royalty-Free/Corbis
Get in touch: Meditation forms part of the therapy. Its about focusing on the internal, something that addicts are often unable to do.
Theo Garrun
Gill* went on a job interview last week, her first in nine years.
She was a successful saleswoman once, but hasn’t worked since then and has been in the depths of self-destruction and substance abuse in-between.
She doesn’t know whether she got the job or not, but the important thing is that she got the interview and feels that she has the mental and physical strength to attend it and give it a go.
It’s been a journey to get to this point, starting with breaking her addiction and going through rehabilitation.
“That part was crucial,” she says, “but as important for me was the further assistance I got in getting me ready to take my life back and get back into society.”
The assistance, in this case, came by way of an intensive, four-week course called Up, Up and Away.
The concept was launched last month and Gill is part of the first graduating group.
The course is the brainchild of psychologist Jo Clarence, and she explains that it takes a multidisciplinary approach, aimed at a holistic process of further building up people who have gone through that initial recovery process.
“Once the recovering addict is no longer at risk, they are generally left to their own devices,” she says.
“We find that they need help in taking the next step – re-establishing a social life, getting a job, etc.
“Most of all, they need to re-establish a balance in their lives, something that disappears while they are using.”
The course involves Clarence’s counselling, which focuses in rebuilding self-esteem, but there is also work-readiness coaching, diet and fitness, meditation and personal finance advice incorporated in the programme.
The members now leaving the programme all agree that, while they were nervous at first, by the second week they were opening up to one another and giving one another the kind of support that has been missing in their lives.
“The personal coaching and work readiness training taught me to start working on achievable, time-bound goals,” says Marcus*, another of the graduates.
“We were asked to identify 25 good things about ourselves and to recount five achievements in our lives. That wasn’t easy, but it made me put all the negatives aside and realise that I am still the person who achieved those things.”
A third member of the group adds: “We were taught to look at our strengths and weaknesses and to identify the things we need to return to a balanced life.
“Our work, health and fitness, spiritual, family and friends have all suffered and we look at how to address that.”
“It’s all about getting in touch with your emotions, you can feel down, but that doesn’t mean you have to start using again.
“Your addiction is part of you, but not all. You were good once and can be good again.”
l Up, Up and Away’s next group is in session and bookings are open for the one that will start after the school holidays. Sections of the therapy are medical, and can be claimed from medical aid. For more information, call Clarence at 082 657 2298 or e-mail upupandaway@mweb.co.za
* Not their real names.
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