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CMHA-CEI Promoting Recovery Stories on Social Media During National Recovery Month

CMHA-CEI Promoting Recovery Stories on Social Media During National Recovery Month

Lansing, MI - Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties (CMHA-CEI) will be highlighting several recovery stories of individuals during the month of September on the CMHA-CEI Facebook page. Three of the four individuals are participating in the 12-week substance use treatment program at the House of Commons (HOC). The fourth individual is a Certified Recovery Coach, who currently works for CMHA-CEI.

The House of the Commons (HOC) has been a respected leader in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment field for more than 48 years. The program helps adult men change their lives by providing the requisite tools for establishing and maintaining a drug free and crime free lifestyle. HOC works to create a co-occurring capable system that is welcoming, person-centered, recovery oriented, culturally competent and trauma informed. The courses offered provides individuals with the tools to be successful when they leave the facility and to manage the stresses of the outside world. In some cases, those tools are lost during their road in recovery.

“When it comes to recovery, ALL. EVERY. ALWAYS. NEVER. ALWAYS. EVERY. ALL. The idea came to me one day during a session with a client,” explained Quenton Lerma, House of Commons Program Coordinator, Integrated Treatment & Recovery Services. “We were talking about concrete thinking and I told him things rarely fall into the “All” category. We should not itemize people talking about “every” person, “everyone” knows, “every” time I try, and things will not “always” be that way, nor do they “always” happen. The client said, “I like that man! You should write that down. With no paper in hand, I wrote it on the office wall. “ALL. EVERY. ALWAYS. NEVER. ALWAYS. EVERY. ALL. It became a way of thinking about recovery, using these types of words, unconsciously using words that allow no variables, are limiting for those in recovery.”

CMHA-CEI will be highlighting four individuals who felt it was important to tell their story, and to hopefully help others. All of the individuals were open to sharing their story of substance use to complete strangers in order to help raise awareness of the SUD and mental health treatment and recovery options that are available. For many that were interviewed, HOC was their last option before being sentenced to prison, or to possibly overdosing on the streets. Painful memories were relived, but hope and perseverance is obvious when reading these stories.

If you see changes in someone in your life, it could be a sign they’re struggling with their behavioral health. Let them know that you’re there for them by sharing a behavioral health screening that they can take anonymously from their device. To utilize the Behavioral Health Screening Tool, please visit: https://screening.mentalhealthscreening.org/CEI

If you or someone you know is suffering from a behavioral or SUD crisis, please call our ACCESS line at 517-346-8318 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To learn more about our services and programs, please visit CMHA-CEI at www.ceicmh.org

Visit the CMHA-CEI Facebook Page to read the highlighted stories here: https://www.facebook.com/ceicmh

About Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties (CMHA-CEI):
The Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham Counties (CMHA-CEI) provides, directly and through partnerships, a comprehensive set of person-centered, high quality, and effective behavioral health, substance abuse, and developmental disability services to the residents of this community.

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