Health and Wellness: Of recovery and redemption

CEBU, Philippines - Fresh from a triumph over a legal battle to continue operations, Vicente “Tico” Aldanese, center director of We Do Recover, Inc. (The Center for Creative Living Solutions), celebrates the anniversary of the drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation center he started last year here in Cebu City.

“I’m overjoyed of the judge’s denial of the case filed against me by a few neighbors who accused us of housing dangerous persons. Now, we are up and about for our second year of operations after such trying period,” Tico shared this in a brief interview prior to the dinner party he threw last May 28 to mark the facility’s first birthday.

Tico takes pride to have been given the gift of being able to open and operate the said treatment center designed as being the ideal place where one can learn to deal with the problems and pains caused by chemical dependency in a manner and setting that is least painful, and enjoyable with safety and health as primary concern for full recovery.

Further, Tico shared he opened the facility to be of help to others who would want to recover, like him, from alcohol, drug or co-dependency; compulsive gambling, and who would want to confront dysfunctional relationships and manage anger; and even sex addiction and other psychological disorders like obsessive-compulsive behavior.

“We have grown into a House of Freedom in Growth and we are proudly a drug-free community. We are also expanding our programs to help those with compulsive gambling, over-eating, and co-dependency (relationships) problems,” he said.

Treatment goals start with a breakdown of denial. Gently, in a safe, supportive yet challenging environment, clients are empowered to relax their defenses, share with others and discover themselves at a feelings level; which combined with education about the addictive disease leads to individual recognition of distorted thinking, past and present. The program also helps reveal to clients “how much they are hurting inside as their emotional wounds begin to surface.”

Then the goal levels up to a change of motivation. Initial motivation is mostly a natural desire to escape from painful consequences which weaken over time as the present crisis fades. As clients begin to discover their own inherent unique value and worth, underlying their emotional pain, self-respect develops. And as they identify with others in sustained recovery, they begin to notice that there is a way out of the pain. This new motivation of attraction to recovery, and life itself, develops and grows progressively stronger as their own recovery strengthens.

Third goal is engagement into the 12-Step Principles and Fellowship which involves mutual help from support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Treatment is basically an ongoing recovery and relapse prevention program requiring action. “This is the most effective available means of developing and maintaining recovery from addictive disease. Studies have linked positive outcome to involvement not to mere attendance,” Tico stressed.

In the course of the interview, Tico mentioned of his successful recovery journey he is working on for almost 12 years now, one day at a time with the great help of God. “I had my first drink (beer) and drug (marijuana) at about 12 years old. I liked the feeling it gave me. I found myself feeling loose; talking easily to everyone around me; and was having a grand time with no worries in the world,” he described of the past “hell hole” he was in.

“I used to think that I was really an expert as I could cheat everyone and hide my using drugs. But in the end I was the big fool and I suffered a lot for it,” he added.

Then he said he found himself realizing that he was sick and tired of “being sick and tired”; later surrendering to the fact that he was an addict and an alcoholic and that he needed help because he did not want to continue with the life he was living. So from that day - on June 20, 1998 - and on, he followed all that was suggested to him by the treatment center to do to recover.

After almost 30 years of abusing drugs and alcohol, he finally has been able to stop and stay clean and free from all types of drugs one day at a time and has been sharing this to nearly a hundred residents of We Do Recover with an assurance of 50-50 rate of success.

“I learned that addiction is not a moral issue nor is it a social disease. Addiction is a disease that is progressive (for if one continues using, it gets worse, never better); it is incurable (which like diabetes, with abstinence the disease can be put to sleep) and should someone with the disease of addiction continue using, they will be headed for any of these three destinations: jails, institutions, or death!” he further said.

Tico and his staff of an accredited physician from the Dangerous Drugs Board as well as a team of psychologists and an anger management therapist tell residents that they can all live a satisfying life, reasonably happy sans illegal drugs or alcohol.

Need help with your drinking or drugging problem? Please feel free to contact Tico at (63-32) 2315229 or 09189379851 or you may visit We Do Recover, Inc. at the 3rd Street La Guardia, Barangay Lahug, Cebu City.