Community-based addiction recovery is not something new. As we become more aware and open to discussing difficult topics like mental health and addiction and recognize the value of shared experience, programs like the one created by Lori Bower, the director of Integrative Wellness at Healthy New Albany, have become more mainstream and visible.
Compassionate Addiction Recovery Experience (CARE) is a community-based program to assist and facilitate recovery for those facing addiction-either directly or indirectly and to provide and promote self-care for anyone seeking techniques to manage daily stresses. The program was developed by Bower in 2017 in response to the opioid epidemic.
“Throughout my years of training and experience, I began to see a disconnect in addressing our society’s opioid epidemic. It is affecting so many people in our world, and I was trying to make sense of this crisis. I’m passionate about holistic treatment modalities to heal the effects of stress on the mind, body and spirit,” Bower says.
CARE is designed for those seeking an alternative approach for overcoming self-destructive and addictive behaviors. The program is ideal for anyone suffering from addictive behaviors, including family members and others requiring tools to cope with loved ones experiencing addiction. CARE allows participants to develop a unique and individualized plan to attain optimal outcomes for recovery whether it be for themselves or for those for whom they are
providing care or treatment.
Through her experience working with major medical facilities and treatment centers, Bower recognizes the value of clinical care, combined with holistic, community-based support in treating addiction. She is an instructor at The Ohio State University Center for Integrative Medicine, and an instructor with Mindfulness in Motion, a mindfulness-based intervention that was developed, researched and validated at the OSU College of Medicine. Bower is a presenter at the Addiction Studies Institute at OSU and has implemented Urban Zen Integrative Therapy (UZIT) Programs for Columbus Springs Dublin and Columbus Springs East Hospitals - two hospitals focused on mental health and addiction - as well as at Heartland High School, the first recovery high school in Ohio.
“The need for community-based care, provided during and after clinical treatment is life changing. Recovery is not a ‘one size fits all approach.’ I don’t think we should underestimate the importance of the mind-body connection for healing,” Bower says.
CARE promotes a deeper sense of awareness, thus returning the body and mind to its natural state of balance. Through compassionately and consciously caring for ourselves, we become empowered to manage stress. Participants learn gentle and compassionate approaches such as movement, breathing, stillness, aromatherapy and other healing energy modalities. After CARE sessions, students often experience feelings of calmness, stability and relaxation.
The goal of the CARE program is to raise awareness of the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction issues, and through this guiding principle, become part of the solution.
“It is my belief that, when we reconnect with this feeling of enough, not only can we heal ourselves, we can heal our community and our world,” Bower says.
Compassionate Addiction Recovery Experience (CARE) is currently offered weekly at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany and is free to attend. For more information: www.healthynewalbany.org/programs
Angela Douglas is the executive director of Healthy New Albany.
