Recovery is a Beginning, Not an End

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-09-15 05:31:00 UTC
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For many people who experience homelessness, substance abuse can be either the cause of their homelessness or a result. Many addicts never recover from their addictions. For others, the road to recovery can be long, dark, and fraught with challenges. But the rewards after recovery can be powerful.

This month, in honor of the 20th Anniversary of National Drug and Alcohol Recovery Month, SAHMSA's online Homelessness Resource Center (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) is featuring profiles in recovery. Imagine my delight to learn that our very own Change.org contributor, Steven Samra, is the first featured profile. They couldn't have made a better choice.

If you follow any kind of social media involving homelessness, you're probably familiar with Steven's name and many accomplishments. In addition to writing about homelessness here and on his personal blog, Stone Soup Station, Steven serves as the Veteran's Services Coordinator at Operation Stand Down in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also the co-founder of The Contributor, Nashville's street paper. In his spare time (ahem), he provides training for the National Health Care for The Homeless Council.

Given his impressive accomplishments, it's hard to believe that Steven has only been out of recovery since 2000. In fact, Steven's life before 2000 is starkly different than today. Perhaps the reason Steven is such a powerful advocate for the homeless is because he's been there, he's struggled with addiction, and he's not afraid to share his experiences for the sake of helping others. He told SAHMSA that being an advocate for the homeless has really changed his life, "People listen to me. I have built credibility by sharing my life experiences and for the first time in my entire life, I can look in the mirror without loathing and disgust. I have some self respect."

If you're a fan of Steven's work here on Change.org (I know I am!), I urge you to read his story at the Homelessness Resource Center. He is an inspiration to me, to those he works with, and to those in recovery who need to learn this important lesson: Recovery is not an end. In fact, for people like Steven, recover is just the beginning.

[Image from Sir Merv's public Flickr photo stream.]

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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