Скачать или смотреть From addiction to Sober Fun

What is sober fun? Milestones Ranch Malibu Treatment Center hosts its annual Sober Fun Day charity fundraiser. Patrick Wanis explores the meaning and definition of "sober fun."

Denise Klein: I had a client once who told me that getting sober was like watching paint drying and I thought to myself, well we have to do something about that. How can we make sobriety compelling and fun?

Van Earl Wright: I have known Denise Klein for a few years and I was visiting with her and told her I was going to be in town and she said well you have to come to our event on Friday, it's a very festive occasion, snow will be present.

Patrick: What did you like the most about the event?

Guest: Anything and everything on this campus I come to because it's gorgeous. And of course Dr. Keck. He's genius.

John Stenzler: He's so amazing, isn't he!

Guest: Oh and did we mention the food?

Guest: Did you have one of the fudge brownies?

Guest: I had chai soy with egg nog.

Patrick: You look very happy, that's great.

Guest: The food, the entertainment—

Bill Stierle: It's just wonderful to hear the speakers and just to be able to connect and network with everybody, it's really wonderful that way.

Seth Kadish: I think it's always a great thing when we put together all of us in this community, many of us have known each other for years and years and it's just a festive and warm feeling.

Guest: Seeing the people, hearing the good information.

John Stenzel: And working with Milestones is always amazing.

Guest: Oh Denise and her group, are you kidding me? They're the best.

Patrick: How do you define sober fun?

Bill Stierle: Sober Fun for me is trying to stay present to what is actually happening in this moment instead of getting dragged around to thinking, I should be in a better place or, I need a substance to make it be a better place. It's like, no, this is the better place.

Guest: The appreciation for everything that's in your life and realizing that that's a gift. Everything is a gift and when you realize that you don't really have to chase anything. You're in gratitude.

Lee Chernotsky: Sober fun is being able to follow your passions and live your life in a meaningful way every day and that's what we do with our clients in the Advance LA program and I know that's what they do here at Milestones as well.

Guest: I think it's interacting with people and building good, trusting bonds with people and that's done around healthy activities. I think once people get sober they have to reestablish that with people so having various events that people can connect around I think is where sober fun is really important.

Guest: Don't listen to the distortion in the mind that something needs to happen in order for you to have that right to feel happy.

Guest: People kind of worry about getting sober and not having anything to do or having any kind of fun anymore and it's just the opposite. I think once people become sober they start really enjoying and living life.

Guest: Drunk, high is an altered state, we're all searching for that. There are so many other ways to achieve that naturally. Meditation, fun, laughing, oh my goodness, finding the things that are really your passion. That's what does it. It's a high, that's what it is.

Patrick: What do you feel is special about Milestones Ranch Malibu?

Guest: Their approach is what I do in my hypnotherapy practice, the approach is love, first and foremost.

Guest: This place to me has always been magical. The environment, the beautiful trees, the ferris wheel behind us, just the magic of the mountains and the spirit of Denise and Glen and the staff here.

Guest: When we met Denise and Savannah, we really connected and liked their philosophy and one of the things they showed us is how they use the facility for events. We'd probably sponsor anything they did and want to join in. We participated in the fashion show they did last year. Anything Milestones does the Life Adjustment Team is going to be there.

Seth Kadish: You know you can just feel the specialness of places when you get there and when you visit with the people who are a part of the group, and you can feel that Milestones is a special place that's full of positive energy and full of healing.

Elda Unger: They're willing to share their knowledge with other facilities and they're so responsible.

Guest: The whole vibe there is very fun and they're very involved in what they do and they're enjoying what they're doing as they're doing it.

Denise: And so at Milestones that's what we try and do every day is try and find something different to expose the patients to so that they can learn to enjoy sobriety and it's a way of life. And so we want them to have fun and enjoy themselves.