Chris Corner. The history of Breakthrough

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1 B R E A K T H R O U G H R E C O V E R Y O U T R E A C H The Bottom Line Volume 4 Issue 1 Jan/Feb/Mar 2014 Chris Corner The history of Breakthrough All great things begin with a thought. Many years ago, in a small room, in a small town in Louisiana, one man had one thought which blossomed into a place to restore hope to individuals and families suffering from Addiction. That place is Breakthrough (BRO). Chris Jacobs, Executive Director and Founder of BRO, knew from a very young age he wanted to help people. While spending quality time with his grandmother at the age of 11, he began to understand the importance of helping people in need. As he got older, most of his experiences centered on helping people in crisis. His passion to see others rise from their unfortunate circumstances was seasoned while employed in the police department and cultivated during his remarkable 20 year period working with beha health patients in a hospital. Though he didn t know it yet, thus began the road to recovery for countless Addicts and the creation of BRO. One day in 2005, while working at the hospital, Chris heard a voice in his ear pushing him to step out on Faith and step into his destiny. He took this epiphany to his Mother, asked her advice and it was at that moment, BRO was created. They came up with the name Breakthrough and Chris began the hardest battle of his life: fighting Addiction! Chris is motivated to continue BRO every time he sees people return with sobriety dates of longevity, receives gratitude from families and previous clients and witnesses the devastation Addiction is still depositing on the community. His desire to continually improve the BRO program has no limitations. He is committed to fighting the disease of Addiction and defeating it. One day at a time, one life at a time Breakthrough Recovery Outreach has been helping Addicts and their families recover from the dangers of Addiction for almost a decade, offering the only Wholistic Recovery program in the metro Atlanta area. Chris believes that longterm recovery results from addressing problems in the whole individual and that wellness needs to occur in the whole person - mind, body and spirit. This belief and dedication to wellness is evidenced in BRO s programming of a wholistic, systems approach to recovery coupled with the traditional 12-Step approach. BRO is fighting Addiction and assisting its clients getting clean and sober for a new tomorrow... Newsletter Designed by: April LaLand-Sentmanat Special points of interest: A history of Breakthrough Meet our dedicated staff Breakthrough events BRO Community partnerships FYI: Recovery information

2 Meet Our Staff Timothy Harrison CAC II therapist Breakthrough Events One of BRO s latest additions to its staff is Mr. Timothy Harrison. Tim has joined BRO as a Substance Abuse Counselor and Therapist working with adults as well as Adolescents. He is a definite asset to the BRO Community bringing many years of experience in the mental health and substance abuse fields of recovery. Tim holds a M.A. in Clinical Counseling, is a board certified Addiction Counselor II and has 22 years counseling experience earning his education at Ashland University. He has an extensive work history including a Residential assistant, program manager of a social services agency, program manager of a life skills age, Program Manager for a chemical dependency program for adolescents, Counselor in a jail treatment program and a Counselor for a homeless shelter. Tim has a philosophy about recovery. He believes Recovery is: A process to gain or regain something positive, productive, meaningful and worthwhile in an individuals life. It is Tim s goal to bring the clients of Breakthrough knowledge, motivation, hope, desire and life. He does this by providing his clients with the best quality care coupled with core values of BRO and his compassion to help others recover from addiction. FREE CEU SEMINAR Sex and Drugs A Lethal Combination On December 14, 2013 Breakthrough (BRO) presented a FREE seminar offering 3 free CEU s to all mental health and substance abuse professionals in the Atlanta area at the Breakthrough Educational Center on Sex and Drug addiction. The presenter for the seminar was Michael Dunn M.A., L.M.F.T., C.S.A.T., M.A.C., who is also a Doctoral candidate in Clinical Sexology. The educational objectives of this seminar were: Learn various methods in which sex increases chemical dependence treatment. Learn the biology of sex and how the various types of drugs counteract the biological process. Learn various techniques to give the participants confidence in working with sexual talk in treatment. Mr. Dunn also trained the participants with specific learning tools to educate their clients in having healthy sexual relationships. Page 2 T HE BOT T OM LI NE

3 Community Breakthrough One of BRO s Values is integrity; making a strong commitment to the highest caliber of personal ethics and responsibility. In keeping with that commitment, BRO sponsored a FOOD DRIVE during the holidays and provided several pounds of food to serve the community in which it operates; making a lifelong partnership with NET- Works. NETWorks is a Cooperative Christian Ministry in the Northlake-Embry Hills-Tucker Area. They are a group of churches, charitable organizations, businesses and individuals committed to assist in meeting the urgent needs of families including food, housing and utilities. Utilizing community and partner church resources, they are working to create a "safety net that works." This safety net includes material assistance, advocacy, spiritual and financial assistance including the N.E.T. Food Pantry. BRO Executive Director Chris Jacobs with NETWorks Director Holly Duncan Sober Problem Solving By: April M. LaLand-Sentmanat Recovery is positively progressing and you re feeling great.! Suddenly, you are attacked by a huge life problem. The only way you ve dealt with problems in the past is with drugs or alcohol. Regrettably you tend to fall back on that but it doesn t have to end up like that! Addiction is a disease not often upended with simple determination. The National Institute of Drug Abuse( NIDA) reports that learning new skills, like improved problem solving and communication skills are 1 of 13 fundamental components of any addiction treatment program. Once you can accept that problems are inevitable and can possibly threaten your sobriety, accept that improving your drugfree problem solving skills is an essential part of your recovery. Here are 7 valuable steps recommended by The NIDA to improved problem solving: 1. Recognize the existence of a problem and accept that you have one. 2. Brainstorm for possible solutions. 3. Think bout realistic consequences for all possible solutions. 4. Choose your best course of action. 5. Execute your decision. 6. Find ways to learn from the situation. 7. For complicated challenges, repeat the process as necessary. V OLU ME 4 ISS UE 1 Page 3

4 Breakthrough Programs Yoga and Meditation Wellness of body, mind and spirit is crucial to sustainable addiction recovery. BRO continues to integrate wholistic, scientific evidence based medical and psychological modalities with the traditional 12 Step Recovery approach of individual and group therapy. We draw from time-tested, biopsychosocial therapies, as well as prevailing neuroscience, with a systems approach to recovery. The whole person is treated: body, mind and spirit to heal the underlying aspects of a person s life that have been destroyed not only by addiction, but the underlying causes (post traumatic stress, trauma and abuse, etc.). BRO s wholistic approach incorporates different techniques, i.e. Guided Meditation, Yoga, Music Therapy, Massage Therapy, Reflexology, Acupuncture and Qigong Meditation. An vital part of BRO s Yoga and meditation program consists of utilizing a Samadhi sensory deprivation tank, the only one in a fivestate radius. Our wellness specialist range from Colon Hydrotherapy, Structural Integration, Reiki, Thai Massage, Gravity Therapy, Embodyment (yoga therapy), Swedish and Deep Tissue Massage, Foot Reflexology and one of the most experienced Yoga Instructor, Marilyn Morrison, in greater Atlanta area. BRO s partnership with Harmony Yoga & Wellness Center, ensures our clients the highest level of Wholistic wellness possible. BRO is the first Residential Treatment Program to offer this wholistic approach. Breakthrough Holidays Each year, Breakthrough takes the time to celebrate with fun, food and festivities in the holiday spirit with a Christmas party and Secret Santa gift-giving for all of our dedicated staff Page 4 T HE BOT T OM LI NE

5 Breakthrough Events Depung Gomang Monks Visit Breakthrough Via Yoga Program The clients at Breakthrough Recovery Outreach (BRO) were gifted with a visitation from authentic Tibetan Monks from China; now residing in a Monastery in India, at The Harmony Yoga and Wellness Center where they attend weekly yoga and meditation. The Monks came for an entire day, interacting with the clients as well as Executive Director Chris Jacobs. This visit was a definite asset to the wholistic recovery program offered by BRO, heightening the yoga and meditation sessions of the day. The clients were given added tools to utilize during their journey through recovery from Addiction. The Monks spent the day chanting, in meditation and had prayer. They shared their philosophy that when one is freed from all mental obscurations, one is said to attain a state of continuous bliss mixed with a simultaneous cognition of emptiness. They feel this is the true nature of reality. In this state, all limitations on one's ability to help other living beings are removed. The Tibetan Monks will be returning to DeKalb County on January 27th-February 4th at The Harmony Yoga & Wellness Center: 2227 Idlewood Road Suite 9, Tucker, GA The Monks will be building a Peace Sand Mandela, chanting, meditating and conducting prayer. For more information contact: Marilyn Morrison (678) V OLU ME 4 ISS UE 1 Page 5

6 3648 Chamblee Tucker Road Suite F Atlanta, Georgia Mission Statement Our mission at Breakthrough is recovery. Through treatment and education, we restore hope to individuals and families suffering from addiction and are committed to facilitate their responsible and successful reentry into the community. Phone: Fax: [email protected] [TRUST IN THE PROCESS] We re on the web! Breakthrough VALUES : Respect -- We honor the dignity of every patient and every member of our team. Safety -- We hold the safety of our clients and the safety of our residential environment o the highest possible standard. Integrity -- We commit to the highest caliber of personal ethics and responsibility. A Culture of Excellence -- We strive to advance state-of-the-art, wholistic treatment of addictive disease. The Twelve Steps -- We embrace the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous as the corner stone of our operating philosophy. Teamwork -- We embrace collaboration as the best method for achieving our mission and vision. Stewardship -- We embrace cautious and responsible management of our most valuable resources. Breakthrough Treatment Modalities Breakthrough s Treatment Team consists of highly skilled professionals who use scientific, evidencebased techniques and wholistic modalities that include: (DBT) Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) Acupuncture Chronic Pain Management Nutrition Education Classes Qigong Meditation Reflexology Relapse Prevention Classes Guided Meditation Individual Psychotherapy Family Psychotherapy Group Psychotherapy Behavior Modification Anger Management Skills Training Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Dialectical Behavior Therapy Medication Education Classes Mindfulness Training Motivational Interviewing Music and Art Therapy Gym Exercise Kickboxing Yoga Massage Therapy Medication Management TRUST IN THE PROCESS