Today we went to the Baltimore Station, a substance abuse rehabilitation center for male veterans. This program is special because residents can stay as long as they want to and don't get kicked out after a specified period of time. First, we had no idea what to expect, except to come with "an open mind." From the moment we entered the door the were extremely welcoming and willing to tell their stories. Residents came from all walks of life, some even making 6 figure salaries and driving BMWs and Lexus's. This was very surprising to most of us, since many of the men we met were very successful professionals and in their 30s when their addiction took its toll on their lives. Clearly addiction can affect anyone and is present in the lives of people from all walks of life.
We learned so much from these men and cannot wait to go back. After touring the center and getting to learn about the facility and all they do, we got to prepare dinner for them and eat with the residents. All of us got to speak with different residents of the program and learned so much about them and got a lot of very valuable advice. The men all had great insight on the world and interesting life stories. We are planning to go back and do something special for them to show our appreciation for being so open with us and letting us into their lives so willingly. If this is what we got to experience and learn the first day we cannot wait to see what the rest of the week holds for us.
And for the first day of spring we celebrated by getting free Ritas :)
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