A Speech to the Class of my Residential Drug Abuse Program Class | Noah’s Story

Hey guys,

Noah here. The last time Morgan visited we talked about my RDAP Program (Residential Drug Abuse Program) that I was finishing up, and I had told her I was about to give them the final speech, which I had been practicing really hard on what I wanted to say. I sent Morgan what I read to our class after wrapping up the program, and she asked if she could share with all of you. Of course, I said yes, but first wanted to give you a little background on what this means.

The speech was for our Milestone Ceremony, and we call it a milestone instead of graduation because recovery never ends, and graduation signals something is complete.

Whereas a milestone simply signals we have reached a point in our recovery worth celebrating.

Finishing RDAP is just the first step in my treatment and what it did for me was open my eyes to the different blinds that I had up in my own life. It also encouraged me to confront my problems from my past and present, as well as how to deal with my future decisions.

It is only the start, and now that I have a milestone I am staying involved in it through my correspondence with you and Narcotics Anonymous of which I attend two meetings a week.

So, here was my speech to my class…

Well, Group 186, we are here, and it was definitely a journey, to say the least. Together we shared lots of laughs and tears. I am proud to be up here today speaking on behalf of our group as I can honestly look every one of you in the eyes and say you have invested in my treatment.

What I want to talk about today is adversity, as that is something we will all certainly face throughout our lives. I also want to remind you that we have all already faced adversity multiple times throughout our time together in the program. Early on in the program, we had two DTS’s leave, and there was uncertainty, but we persevered. Then we had two new DTS’s come in, we had to adapt to new styles and expectations, but we again persevered. When community members had set-backs, myself included, we didn’t just cast them aside; we rallied behind them. Finally, right when the program was winding down, we got a new DAP-C, but instead of fighting the change; once again, we persevered.

I have learned many lessons from my time in RDAP; a few being, there is always room for improvement; anyone can benefit from extra treatment; awfulizing is not actually a word in the dictionary; and how important the community is to recovery. I will be the first to admit that I was skeptical when I came down to RDAP. I didn’t have any close friends in the program, and I didn’t think the staff could relate to me. I quickly learned that I was wrong. Not only did I find out that the staff truly cared about us, but also there were people from all different walks of life that could relate to my struggles. Trust was built, and friendships were formed.

Some of us are getting ready to go home, and others still have a little ways to go. Regardless of your circumstances, I encourage everyone here to find a way to stay involved, because remember; recovery never ends. Thank you.