Author: communications

(Home of New Vision is not responsible for content written by Guest Authors) By Myisha Uni Cunningham Step 2: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. As a person in long term recovery and as a black woman, I have noticed a few things that make you go “hmm” (eyebrow raised for emphasis). Let us start at the beginning. What is sanity? Sanity is the ability to think and behave in a normal and rational manner. What is insanity? It is defined as mentally ill, extreme foolishness, or irrationality. Can we agree the…

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By Brooke Page Being a mother is challenging. Being a Mother in Recovery is even more challenging. For two years now I have been a Mother in Recovery—challenging, to say the least. Countless obstacles, sleepless nights, not to mention the “girl drama,” back talking and disrespect that came along with one teenage boy and three teenage girls.  I should probably tell you, I have four children, Ethen (18), Emilie (16), Cameron (13), and Elizabeth (11). These obstacles I was facing were nothing I had been expecting. So, a short glimpse into my story. Being a woman with a 17-year Hustle…

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By Myisha Cunningham What is recovery Church? It is a group of people who work the twelve steps together through the lens of Jesus. We are 100% a 12-step program, but also 100% a church. The question becomes what kind of church do we want to be? While the mission of a church ideally stays the same, the vision of the church has some flexibility. It is usually subject to change as the community around it changes. Aubrey Malphurs, professor of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary and author of over a dozen books relating to ministry states, “the vision…

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By Hanna Burgess My experience with marijuana can be summed up in two concepts: shame and  missed opportunity.  I have been an anxious, nerdy type since before I can remember.  When I was 14 I started dating a boy who was a typical stoner. I took my first bong hit and I really thought I had stumbled onto the cure.  It helped me chill; it helped me focus my racing thoughts. Beyond that it gave me a social group and a social activity. (“You wanna come over and burn one?”) In my sophomore year, I was expelled from high school…

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By Riley Kidd How does recovery relate to all individuals with regard to substance use disorders? I have seen here in Jackson, MI, that a very small percentage of the minority population has not been able to relate to recovery, let alone the addiction that comes beforehand. I have seen that a lot of the focus of treatment has been on the opioid and meth situation but much of what affects the other population is either ignored or caregivers don’t have an understanding of how to approach it.  National studies in the United States indicate that African Americans and Hispanic…

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By Andrew Powers I’m grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the importance of acceptance in my recovery, and how it has shaped me into the man I am today, two years sober and living a life I never before thought possible. It is the philosophy of life through which I approach my days and a spiritual practice—not unlike prayer and meditation—that provides my life with direction and meaning. Acceptance is the essence of recovery, and the very embodiment of the serenity prayer by which I try to live my days. Occasionally I’ll look back on the early months of…

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