August 26, 2015
“…..generally functioning pretty well, has some meaningful interpersonal relationships. ….” That’s a good start to recovery, I’d say, for some people whose lives have been wrecked by drugs, bad decisions, poor associations, and mental health challenges. That is one of the descriptions on a popularly used mental health assessment.
I have used an example with our volunteers of helping people move from what probably feels like -30 to + 40. Is that progress? Of course. But is someone with a relative score of 40 on a scale of 0-100 capable of full life recovery? Probably not. But if someone is helped from 20 to 70 or 80, is that good progress? Certainly. And are they likely to be able to sustain their recovery and be independent and competent? I certainly think so. It happens quite often. As long as they remain committed to the work-ordered life routine, the spiritual disciplines, supportive social community, and other behaviors that helped them achieve that level of functioning. Each person who comes starts at a point of brokenness. Only God knows how far and how whole they can become. We simply endeavor to help them get to the highest level of functioning that they can attain.