Fearless Fridays: Exercise in Addiction Treatment

Rise and Shine

It’s 7:30 AM Friday morning at SCHC and three lone souls stand atop the bank looking out over the Malaspina Strait. Our legs are riddled with lactic acid and our lungs burn like wildfire as we fight every fiber of our being to lay down on the comfy warm grass. Through deep gasps, one client, almost inaudibly mutters, “That was the last one, right?” As oxygen begins to return to my brain, I realize he is attempting to open the door for me to forgo the last hill run. He’s testing me. I consider it momentarily, as it would be the easiest thing in the world to call it quits. After all, no one would know, and we already did 3, right? However, the best way to strengthen spirit and resolve is through forcing ourselves to push through our comfort zone. The later feeling of accomplishment is the most empowering thing in the world. So, with a wry smile and a deep breath, I shoot him a glance, and test him back, “You got one more in ya, don’t ya?!”

Fearless Fridays started in April. They are a sort of bootcamp offered in the early hours of the day to send guys into the weekend with a good workout under their belts. Fearless Fridays are accompanied by hydrotherapy, yoga, and a recreational outing to help clients unwind and recharge at the end of a long week of programming.

The Challenge

In comparison with our other Friday offerings, Fearless Fridays is certainly the most intense. Due to its challenging nature and early start time, attendance has been hit and miss. As I like to say, it’s easy to be fearless on Thursday night, but I’ll know for sure it’s true when I see you Friday morning.

The Reward

Through the small act of resisting the urge to hit the snooze button and rolling back over in bed, we actively choose difficulty and discomfort. Choosing to do something both challenging and positive for ourselves has a profoundly uplifting effect. There is a big difference between knowing what we should do, and actually doing it. So, I congratulate all participants of Fearless Fridays. What we learned about ourselves on those early mornings, as we pushed the limits of what we thought we could do, will last with us for a lifetime.

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