“Owning your own story is the bravest thing you’ll ever do.”
– Brene Brown
Behavioral health is less a profession than it is a calling. Over the last few years, we have watched our friends and colleagues raise the bar, push the limits, and give so freely of themselves in a time filled with so much uncertainty. While there was little question of the importance of and need for substance use disorder and mental health care in years prior, the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020 has exacerbated the need for behavioral health services. The incredible work of behavioral healthcare professionals during this time has highlighted the importance of mental health and addiction treatment. To our friends and colleagues, your creativity, dedication, commitment, and unyielding passion has shown us how vital the professionals who do this work are to all of us.
Every one of us has a story as to why we have chosen this work. Maybe you are a person in recovery from addiction, another behavioral health issue, or trauma? Maybe you were personally impacted by the struggles of a family member or loved one? Maybe you are a doctor or clinician that made the decision to dedicate your life to helping people overcome their struggles and be the best version of themselves? Whatever the reason, we all have our own story and sharing that story is the most powerful way we can continue to do our part and spread a message of hope.
The courage to #OwnYourStory doesn’t just empower you. It empowers your family and friends, your community, your critics, and the world as a whole. One person’s personal recovery has a lasting ripple effect far beyond what is seen. A similar impact is made when we have the courage to not only own our story but to share it. Here at MARC, we are proud of our story and grateful for the part that you have played in it up to this point. We are thankful for you, grateful that you give of yourself day in and day out to your clients, your patients, our chosen field, and in doing so, a vision of a better world for us all.
Our own story at Maryland Addiction Recovery Center is one that we’re proud of and we believe has impacted an innumerable number of individuals since our inception. We have directly helped our patients and their families, but how many people have they helped? How many parents and children? How many businesses and employers? How many ways have they bettered their community, our community, and society at large? This is the ripple effect we’re describing.
We are a family owned and operated organization that opened our doors at the very end of 2013. MARC was the dream of three friends in recovery, looking to bring an innovative model of care crafted from their unique experience working in addiction treatment. We started with 7 employees and roadmap. Our mission and vision were to offer comprehensive care for the treatment of substance use disorder by approaching addiction as a chronic illness and removing many of the barriers typically associated with traditional treatment approaches. Over the last 8+ years we have grown to offer multiple programs that offer long-term comprehensive care, which includes an extended care model that integrates addiction treatment with mental health treatment, trauma-informed care, family engagement, academic and educational support, vocational and career support, community reintegration, personal recovery, and life skills development. Our story is one of hope. Hope that our patients and families can heal, and hope that addiction treatment can do better and better serve those in need.
In the coming weeks, we will support many of our staff, our colleagues, and others to own THEIR story. This campaign will occur through new branded MARC apparel and to share that story online to reach those in need, inspire, and ultimately help others. Through the authenticity of our own stories we can inspire, we can motivate, we can be helpful, we can offer hope, and we can have the transformative power to create positive change in the lives of others.
We invite you to take part in our campaign and #OwnYourStory. Owning your story is the most powerful thing you can do, and the most effective tool in helping someone else. We should not run from who we are or what has happened in our lives, but rather own that our history and our experience make us stronger. And through that strength, that honesty, and that authenticity, we are able to use our story and our experience to help others first find hope, and then find their own strength and power to in turn help many more. Like ripples in water, our story of our lives and who we are can impact more lives than we could possibly imagine.
Let the power of your story create a ripple effect that will help to break the stigma of addiction and mental health and aid others in finding recovery.
If you or someone you know needs help for addiction or co-occurring disorder issues, please give us a call. Maryland Addiction Recovery Center offers the most comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment in the Mid-Atlantic area. If we aren’t the best fit for you or your loved one, we will take the necessary time to work with you to find a treatment center or provider that better fits your needs. Please give us a call at (410) 773-0500 or email our team at info@marylandaddictionrecovery.com. For more information on all of our drug addiction, alcohol addiction and co-occurring disorder services and recovery resources, please visit our web site at www.marylandaddictionrecovery.com.
