Taking the wheel is realizing you can to do anything. Our CHARITY BY DESIGN partner, The Herren Project (THP), embodies this message through providing assistance in taking the first steps toward recovery and a life of sobriety, educational programs and resources to increase awareness on the signs of addiction, and bringing hope for a better tomorrow.
In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, Pam Rickard from Rocky Mount, Virginia shares how THP helped her overcome substance abuse and how she continues to work with them to support others.
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“I had to ‘surrender the wheel’ in order to take it back…
For most of my adult life, I was well respected as a mom, a professional, and an athlete. In truth, I was anxious and fearful, self-medicating with alcohol, trying desperately to keep my struggles hidden.
I finally entered residential treatment April 17, 2006 (Boston Marathon Monday) – and took my first steps into sobriety. However, the foundation of recovery that saved my life was not built without extreme difficulty; I still faced the consequences of three DUI convictions, which included a three-month jail sentence. Throughout early recovery, I had to learn to follow directions and listen, surrendering my will, ideas and even my freedom. The guidance and direction I received equipped me to grow in my own recovery journey, enabling me to ‘take back my wheel,’ and ultimately help others do the same through my work with The Herren Project.
Today, I’ve completed more than 70 marathons and ultra-marathons. But running the 2017 Boston Marathon is more important to me than any other as it’s the first time in 11 years that my sobriety birthday falls on marathon Monday. On April 17, 2006, I entered a treatment center broken and sick, but on April 17, 2017, I will ‘take the wheel’ at the starting line of the world’s most iconic and historic marathon healed, healthy and overwhelmingly grateful.”
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Help further the mission of The Herren Project with the Take the Wheel Charm Bangle. A symbol of guidance, it inspires new beginning and endless possibilities.
