“When the will to effort is greater than the will to comfort, we get well.”

At Rosehill I was introduced to Recovery International [RI]. When I came home from Rosehill after nine months I remember trying to tell mom and dad about RI. We finally went to a RI meeting in Dallas and mom and dad were blown away.

The three of us decided to learn enough to bring RI to Denton in 2011. As we taught the RI method to others, they grew alongside of us. One person came all the way from being in her apartment all the time to driving to OK. Another person got a job while using the RI method. A third person got a sales job, became a boss, and was sent overseas to start an office there. A person that started using RI was pleased to go from a job he didn’t fit into to finding a job he really liked and his employer likes him. We have had several other successes like these.

A few of my successes have been finding a friend at RI, and working the program myself so that mom and dad can take a vacation without the worry of my freaking out. My parents finally had enough confidence in me to let me be alone for three days and to depend on friends when I needed help so they could go on a trip by themselves.

While my mom and dad were on their trip, I found ways of eating and to stay busy. My sister took me out to eat and took me along while she did errands she needed to get done. I enjoyed the time Kim spent with me. The next day when mom and dad were on the road home, I went out and had half a Ruben. I brought the second half home and when mom and dad got home, they ate it and went to bed. They didn’t want to do anything after 8 or 9 hours driving and I was OK with that.

My growth in the RI program has been slow but I have not only had growth in RI, but also in my maturity alongside of it. Before when I have had success in growing mentally, it has been followed by a slide backwards soon after. RI has been great in my steady growth forward with no slips back. I remember times a long time ago when I was scary to others because of my outbursts.

I have stayed out of the hospital for 5 or 6 years now and my maturity has not suffered. With the RI tools and spots, I can decide to stay calm for my benefit as well as the benefit of family and friends.

Thomas Fidler
Denton, Texas