I Am Grateful

I am grateful…

How my life might have unfolded without my involvement with the CDP, I will never know. What I do know is that the structure the organization mandated became the framework I needed as I worked to open the door to life without alcohol. The CDP program, guided by science, has as its mission to identify, intervene and assist members of the dental profession and their families who suffer the consequences of alcohol or other drug abuse or addiction, stress and professional burnout or other impairments. The program works!

My independent nature made it hard to live with the oversight sometimes. That being said, I am immensely grateful for the guidance I received even though initially I wasn’t aware of how much I needed it. The CDP gave me the key to open the door to recovery and has been with me in that recovery as I navigated through each phase.

The CDP is an effective organization but the people administering it are the reason it’s effective and successful. I feel great respect and gratitude to the key people who educated me, supported me, cared for me, and set boundaries for me throughout my CDP experience. The work they have put in humbles me. To know that each of the key people in my recovery has their own story, their own struggle, and their own unique gift which they have chosen to give to help others and to heal themselves simultaneously is almost an indescribable concept. I appreciate that without these teachers, mentors, and friends my life would not be what it is today.

And speaking of my life is today, I am grateful that I am living independent of a chemical crutch. I have evolved into new phases of occupation, residences, health, and interests. Like all my fellow humans, I am blessed with a skill set but challenged with weaknesses. My parents, teachers and childhood mentors provided me with a strong foundation. I have been blessed with some personal characteristics that have served me well and I am proud of them. They are industriousness, intelligence, determination, and loyalty. My wife, adult children, their spouses, and my grandchildren are treasures in my life. My health has been a challenge lately. One of those personal characteristics, determination, has helped me to fight through to hopefully regain my previous health status or something close to it.

I understand through my education and association with the leaders and the peers I have met through the CDP that recovery is a fragile state. I respect its fragility and know that my continued mental and physical health, with respect to addiction, is one that I will need to invest in continually. I have some pretty outstanding role models in the CDP organization to emulate. It is up to me to use the resources given tome to succeed.

CDP, thank you for the strong tool box you have provided for me. I will strive to put them to a good purpose.

~ With Gratitude from a Recovering Dental Professional ~