Clean-and-Sober Summer Fun in UGM LIFE Recovery

You’ve heard us say it before: part of Recovery is having fun, sober! Men and women who come to UGM for help breaking self-destructive patterns such as substance abuse and other addictions need so much more than just structure and accountability in order to find freedom.

Many of our residents’ addictive behaviors began as a way to cope with acute or complex trauma or chronic abuse. Some also experienced neglect in childhood and were never given the skills needed to overcome life’s day-to-day challenges or to process pain in a healthy way. No matter the cause, when drugs, alcohol, or other addictions enter the scene, they can quickly become an individual’s sole relief from negative thoughts and emotions. The sense of relief, pleasure, or even euphoria provided makes it next to impossible to break free with willpower alone.

This is why, in UGM LIFE Recovery, part of our whole-person approach to recovery involves relearning (or learning for the first time) how to find true rest and joy from activities that are safe and healthy. Replacing the self-destructive coping mechanisms with fun-filled activities and safe relationships is just as important as the coursework, counseling, and life skills training provided in program.

Here are some ways we’ve partnered with the community to facilitate life-changing fun for our residents this summer.

Hiking at Kamiak Butte County Park in the Palouse – Men’s Recovery

Rafting the Spokane River – Women’s Recovery, Spokane – thanks to Peak 7 Adventures

 

“My favorite part was just the togetherness and doing these fun things as a group… Doing something that was out of other people’s comfort zone and just having each other to lean on when we’re freaked out.”

- Italia, Women’s Recovery

Adventures at Silverwood Theme Park – Women’s Recovery, Coeur d’Alene
Thanks to members of UGM Connect who donated to the Summer Fun Fund

Golfing – Men’s Recovery

Adventures at Silverwood Theme Park – Women’s Recovery, Spokane
Thanks to sponsorships from Chapter & Verse

“This was soooo much fun! The most fun I've had in a handful of years, and clean and sober at that, which made it even better! God is good! Thank you also to anyone who helped us go.”

- Tiffany, Women’s Recovery

Pickleball Practice – Women’s Recovery, Coeur d’Alene – thanks to multiple UGM volunteers

When you partner with Union Gospel Mission, you provide so much more than the structure and accountability needed in recovery; you provide whole-person healing, a caring community, and clean-and-sober fun that can set a new course for life.