"We must have a path in our life that supports us working on our “stuff”, our issues. That supports our change. Life is a mirror and nothing brings the mirror like clients. HOW. Honesty, open-mindedness and willingness. Make it your intention to both grow and honor (take care of) yourself for the rest of your life. Have a path in place that looks after yourself emotionally/spiritually and take care of that side of your life."
I am excited about the opportunity to share with you some insights from a real leader in the recovery movement here in NC. Jimmy Cioe, LADAC, CSAC, CPSS who is Program Coordinator at Governor's Institute on Substance Abuse.
I had the opportunity to connect with him and I asked him to share with peers across NC some insights about how he defines success; what a typical week is like for him; his wellness tools; advice for peers and what keeps him motivated to keep at it. Kick back and check out what he shares with us.
How do you define success?
Forward movement. Humans want to advance, shine and grow, like all living things, toward our optimal state. What that looks like for each individual can be different. There’s a saying, “It’s important to meet people where they’re at, but not leave them where they’re at.”
What is a typical day and week like for you?
I have been in the Advocacy business for the last two + years so I do not have much client contact these days. My day is desk work and out in the community. I was a licensed alcohol/drug counselor for the previous 17 years and during that time was introduced to Peer Support concepts and took the training.
What's your advice for those entering the field?
We must have a path in our life that supports us working on our “stuff”, our issues. That supports our change. Life is a mirror and nothing brings the mirror like clients. HOW. Honesty, open-mindedness and willingness. Make it your intention to both grow and honor (take care of) yourself for the rest of your life. Have a path in place that looks after yourself emotionally/ spiritually and take care of that side of your life. Most all of the people we encounter in our work did not receive the parenting they truly desired and needed. One way to characterize the work is we are holding a space for them to learn to parent themselves. That is a way to look at our own process. Parenting ourselves.
What wellness tools do you use in your own life?
Prayer...Meditation..Introspection..Meetings..Sponsor...Sponsees...Service...Charity/Social responsibility...Exercise...Nutrition...Fellowship...Books...Commune with nature...Walks...Humor
And More-I need all the help I can get.
What have been your most rewarding experiences?
I have seen/aided amazing success stories which, of course are gratifying. Yet, I have to admit the “failures” outnumber that the “successes”, so I am comforted by the Christian Mystic, Thomas Merton’s advice, “Do not depend on the hope of Results. When you are doing the sort of work you have taken on, you may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no worth at all, if not perhaps, Results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you will start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself.” I have to also throw in that when I finally came in to recovery, I remembered something someone told me ten years earlier, and that led to a spiritual awakening. A counselor had planted a seed that took 10 years to sprout, but sprout it did. What we do does count.
What motivates and inspires you to "keep at it"?
Simply, still, the gratitude for that drop of Grace that changed the course of my life. And those who loved me before I could love myself.
What are your recommendations towards professional development?
The spiritual path dictates that ultimately there are no regrets. Though we may have amends needed, hard work ahead, sadness over losses & missed opportunities, grief from those losses and deep feelings through it all, in our healing we are headed to a land of no regrets. But I wish I got my BA when I was young and that is officially the only advice I ever give out.
What recovery champions most inspire you?
Many mentors and leaders in recovery have helped me on the way. I see God in all of them and am grateful. Currently, my mentor and teacher is Chris Budnick, from The Healing Place.
I conclude with Jimmy Cioe, the Program Coordinator for Recovery Initiatives at the Governor's Institute on Substance Abuse as he shares what recovery is in his own words. Listen. It is great.
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