Bridging the Gaps’ 12-Step Comprehensive Residential Addiction Treatment in the Heart of Virginia's Recovery Community

Bridging the Gaps (BTG) is a residential treatment program located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  BTG has operated in the valley for over 20 years and has become a part of the recovery community.  One of the elements of treatment that grew organically along with the agency is the close knit relationship we have with the community.  BTG consists of one clinical building and three residential houses which are all within a mile and a half of each other, and which all lie downtown in Historic Winchester Virginia.  The city has had a thriving AA community for decades and is appreciated throughout the state to those in recovery communities. The clients who come to BTG have interactions with the local recovery community on a daily basis.  Unlike a campus setting, where clients are confined to a limited area during their treatment experience and where the only exposure to 12 step programs is through meetings being brought into a facility, BTG clients will attend over 7 local AA meetings each week.  This exposure provides valuable experience as to how to interact with and utilize a recovery network.

Building a Foundation of Connection and Support in Recovery

Those who suffer from the disease of addiction often feel lonely, misunderstood, and less than.  It is not uncommon for those who suffer from the disease to push away those who are trying to help.  These feelings are understood within a caring recovery community.  By virtue of our long-standing place within the community, BTG clients are welcomed at meetings with a knowing acceptance.  Long standing members of the recovery community are aware of the uneasiness experienced by our clients who are new to treatment and to the AA program.  While the peers within the treatment community support one another, the elders in the AA community provide gentle invitations to participate in the meetings, and to interact before and after meetings.  Many local meetings provide the opportunity for the newcomer to introduce themselves.  Often AA or NA have lists of meetings available, referred to as a “where and when”.  These are traditionally passed around the room for willing participants to provide their contact information.  These numbers provide the first opportunity for the clients to practice a new behavior, asking for help.  These numbers are provided to the newcomer, and to BTGs clientele, with the understanding that one can call and receive support and guidance regarding how to stay sober and how to engage in a 12 step program.  Although this happens in 12 step communities around the world, BTG clients appreciate a special connection with seasoned AAers in our area who are aware of where and how BTG works and teach our clients skills to help maintain their sobriety.   Sponsorship is offered and the clients begin a journey of a lifetime.  The client’s are no longer alone and appreciate additional guidance as they grow.  As client’s transition through the various levels of care within the BTG continuum the clients build a foundation in recovery as they nurture relationships with others who are also walking the path.

Addressing Common Concerns and Building Community Connections

When beginning a path of recovery many questions come up.  Am I going to feel this way forever?  Am I ever going to have fun again? Will I always feel so alone?  What does it mean to find a higher power?  BTG incorporates a variety of modalities which provide the opportunity for clients to begin to address some of these questions within a clinical setting. These include sessions on the disease of addiction, emotional regulation and spirituality.  In addition to the therapeutic work that is done on a daily basis at BTG, the clients are encouraged to seek out support from members of the community and to ask the questions they’ve always had regarding what it means to find fellowship in recovery and what it means to form a relationship with a power greater than themselves.  

In attending a variety of meetings the clients are exposed to different approaches to spirituality and open mindedness regarding what approach one chooses to find a power greater than themselves.  BTG clients also have the opportunity to explore other approaches including SMART and Refuge recovery support groups when these options are available.  The client’s are provided the opportunity to appreciate fun sober activities with each other and within the community.  Annual picnics take place within the local 12 step community, and BTG clients attend and participate in fun and fellowship with local AA’ers. The BTG alumni also have monthly picnics with the local community, and annual get-togethers with the broader BTG alumni community.  These events are also attended by the clients and connections are made between those who are currently in treatment and those who have been successful remaining abstinent as a result of their work in treatment and their engagement in a personal program of recovery.

The interactions newcomers have with those who have been in recovery for a while can serve to help remove barriers that have kept the sufferer from trying to get sober.  Sometimes these barriers come in the form of old ideas about what alcoholism looks like.  Too often one who suffers from the disease of addiction refuses to get help because of preconceived ideas.  They think to themselves “I’m not an alcoholic because…”.  Often they finish this sentence with things such as “I still have my job”, “I haven’t lost my family”, “I’ve never had a DUI” and so on.  When the alcoholic or drug addict adheres to the belief that they must experience one of these horrific outcomes, they continue to believe that they are not what addiction looks like, and therefore they continue to use.  Their continued use places them and those around them at continued risk, and their consequences get worse and worse.  These beliefs are hard to break and unfortunately, they often require experiencing a great deal of pain before they are shattered.  Exposure to men and women in recovery whose stories challenge these old ideas are crucial for one’s ability to change without additional and unnecessary pain.   Seeing people who come from all walks of life and backgrounds are key to challenging old ideas. BTG clients are exposed to a diverse community with a wide range of experiences that can help the new client recognize that they can stay sober no matter the degree to which they have suffered.  Weekly meetings where speakers share their experience, strength and hope are attended.  Regular interactions with local people in recovery who participate in AA’s committee serving Hospitals and Institutions are appreciated, where histories are shared and perspectives can be broadened.  People from all walks of life come together to let each other know they have dug down far enough, and that here and now is the time for recovery to begin.