maps house
Each student entering Passages To Recovery will spend their first week at the MAPS House. At this early stage we focus on helping students make an easy transition into treatment and prepare for them for the wilderness experience they are about to embark on. This transition week consists of an introduction to the 12 Step Model, attending Alcoholics Anonymous® and Narcotics Anonymous® meetings, and writing and reviewing their life story to better understand where they have been and where they may be going. Students also participate in educational groups on addiction, family dynamics, spirituality and meditation, and life skills needed for sobriety. Time is also spent preparing for the wilderness aspect of the program by teaching hard skills such as fire starting with a bow drill, treating water, and taking care of the environment and campsites. Students also participate day hikes to better acclimate to the new environment. Student’s free time can be spent on the MAPS House basketball or volleyball court, horseshoe pit, or engaged in other fun activities. At the MAPS House we put an emphasis on learning to have fun in sobriety and enjoy our lives while being as productive and successful as possible.
After students complete the wilderness aspect of our program they return to MAPS House to process their experience, mentor peers who are preparing for wilderness, and formulate plans for their return to society and family. When students return from the field we hold a large festive dinner in their honor celebrating their accomplishments in the wilderness. At this dinner they share their experience and answer questions about the wilderness for new students. Following dinner they lead the group in a meeting where they are able to share more about their growth.
The next day students participate in a two day Family Workshop. Following the Family Workshop students join the MAPS house again where they are encouraged to step into leadership roles in the group serving as support and example for new students. The great paradox of the program is that “we can only keep what we have by giving it away”, so we strongly encourage graduating students to help new students in order to experience the inner rewards service brings. During this time they also prepare for the transition into society by attending educational groups that discuss topics like relapse prevention, aftercare programs and short-term life plans. Students make concrete plans for their “next step” by researching and communicating with aftercare programs, finding the locations of the local Alcoholics Anonymous® or Narcotics Anonymous® and coordinating with family. Within all of this we maintain an emphasis on having fun in sobriety and celebrating life. Students spend time in the community during their final week participating in activities such as bowling, Frisbee golf, and picnic dinners at the local park. These days often conclude at an AA or NA meeting to fellowship with peers.
Graduation brings staff and students together around a campfire in a celebration that includes drumming, story telling, and other kinds of ceremony. For example, Graduates create a new life story to share with their peers; one with a focus on their personal growth and change. They also create an object to burn in the fire that represents something they want to leave behind or let go of. Students also plan and execute a graduation/giving project. In past projects graduating students have volunteered to share their story with at-risk youth at a nearby school, teach a skills clinic to new students and clean local campground areas.
The MAPS House is a place to prepare and educate the mind, body, and spirit for the transitions that take place entering the wilderness and returning to society. We assist each student in identifying their strengths and offer them education to better understand addiction. We support students as they begin to gain insight into their lives through examining their past and present experience. We seek to prepare students for their future.