Advocacy is and activity by an individual or group aiming to influence rules, laws, and processes to bring a change wanted by the individual or group. the new Montana Legislative session begins today in Helena with our voted Representatives. This session will work with new laws passed and amendments made to existing laws also changes to funding for services provided for people in Montana. Montana’s Peer Network offers opportunity to learn how to professionally ask and advocate for changes you feel are needed to empower recovery oriented behavioral health services in our state.

Spirituality is something I really struggled with in early recovery. It took me a long time to realize that spirituality was something that I defined for myself, it was a personal journey. I have a lot of religious trauma in my story and though I tried in early recovery to adopt other people’s traditional religious views as my spirituality, that created an internal conflict that I could not deny.

Spirituality is gritty. I spent many years trying to find God, sitting in meditation for hours a day attempting to make her something separate of myself that would give me a golden ticket into heaven. Attempting to be good enough to achieve unlimited access to worth, making up for lost time in meditation and prayer, life could be good if I said the right words and did the right actions.

Spirituality is one of my favorite topics to talk about. I have no idea where I would be if I hadn’t implemented a spiritual practice in my life. Let’s talk about the evolution of how my spirituality came to be the cornerstone of my recovery.

Culture develops my belief system, that develops my traditions, that gives me a sense of self within a community. Culture gives me my values; it tells me how to live my life.

This month is National Native American Heritage Month, acknowledging Indigenous First Nations. I am a member of the Blackfoot Confederated Nation, the Amskapii Piikani Band. We are one band of a six-clan band, and the only band of our nation in the United States. Our culture is prevention on so many levels. Having a connection to both Indigenous First Nations knowledge and the Westernized knowledge can be very helpful in recovery.

There are many forms of culture that we can address when it comes to recovery. Over the years it has been a piece of my professional development that I have had to work on. I think for me I needed to understand my own culture to be able to recognize and appreciate other forms of culture.

As I am walking down the sidewalk, crisp leaves crunch beneath my feet and I cannot help but think about when I was a little girl, and my uncle would rake all the leaves into a big pile for us to jump in. My innocent years before I understood what my little life could become.

It’s the season of changes. During this time of the year, we can have a mixture of emotions that we are feeling, dealing, and coping with. Everyone in recovery has their own story and I know for me, mine involves a lot of good times, amazing times, and a lot of traumatic times too.