Tuesday 28 April 2015

Mama, Don't Give Up!


This song came to me one night. The words kept running through my head all day until I put them down on paper. While I write a lot of poetry about our family’s experience with addiction, this is the first time a song came to me. It was also strange that it came in the voice of a person struggling with addiction who wants recovery, rather than in the voice of a mother, which is the voice I use in my writings. Because it was such a different experience, I didn’t know what to make of it. I sent it to JD to see what he thought. He worked his magic and turned it into this beautiful song that is simple like it was in my dream but, hopefully, powerful as well. The struggle is very real for our loved ones. We hope this song gives them a voice, even if it is just a small one. We hope you like it!



Mama, Don’t Give Up!
By: Rose Barbour

I’m dying on the outside
And screaming within
It’s a deadly game
That no one wins.

The people that I’ve hurt
At every turn
The roads I’ve travelled
The bridges I’ve burned.

Mama, I hurt so bad
From this life I’m living
The addiction that I have
Is so unforgiving.

Through the darkness
There’s a glimmer of hope  
That I might break free
If I can somehow cope.

With nothing to lose
I’m taking control
Reclaiming my life  
And my heart and soul.

Chorus
Mama, I hurt so bad 
From this life I’m living
The addiction that I have
Is so unforgiving.
Please forgive me
For the pain I’ve caused
I hate myself
But I was so damn lost.

Turning a nightmare
Into a dream
The power is in me
I want to believe.

So, Mama, don’t give up
I am on my way
Keep your hope alive 
And continue to pray.

Who I was
Is not who you see
This life is hell
It has hardened me.

Please forgive me
For the pain I've caused  
I hated myself
But I was so damn lost.

So, Mama, don’t give up
I am on my way
Keep your hope alive 
And continue to pray.

Song Lyrics by Rose Barbour
Music by JD White

Friday 3 April 2015

SMART Recovery is growing!


We are so pleased to announce that we now have 3 SMART Recovery meetings in Queen’s County:

Mondays at 7:00 at the Reach Centre in Stratford

Wednesdays at 7:00 at the Trinity United Church (Richmond Street Entrance), 2nd Floor, Classroom 12

Saturdays at 2:30 at Mt. Herbert Addictions Treatment Facility (this is a closed group for patients only)

We currently have several people registered to become facilitators and many others who are interested. We are hoping that by the summer time we will have SMART Recovery meetings most nights of the week.

We are holding an information session on Saturday, April 11th from 1 to 3 for people who are signed up for the facilitator training or interested in it. If you would like to attend, please RSVP to Rose at behindtheaddiction@gmail.com or Nicole at 902-620-0000.

We need people from all over the Island to volunteer so that we can bring this wonderful program to all Islanders who need it. If you want to make a difference in your community, this is a good opportunity to do so. There is not one community that hasn’t been impacted by addictions in some way.

Here is the SMART Recovery website where you can learn more about the program: http://www.smartrecovery.org/ 

Come out and join our SMART Recovery PEI team!