Minne-sober: Out-of-state patients find a home
Posted by admin on October 14, 2007 under St. Paul, Star Tribune | 
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Sourced from Star Tribune.
For many nonresidents who come to the area’s rehab centers, the Twin Cities become a place to call home. They live one day at a time, and those days often have turned into decades.
There are a million stories in the land of 10,000 rehab centers, but many of them play out close to the treatment facilities that bring addicts here in the first place.
“Recovery is thick here,” said William Cope Moyers, vice president of external affairs for Hazelden and one of these transplants. “There’s something about the Twin Cities that gives recovering people an added layer of support and protection to make the journey a bit easier and more rewarding.”
Other denizens of the local recovery nation cite the “centeredness” and acceptance they found from Minnesota residents and businesses in general.
But they are quick to add that without the tremendously supportive rehab community, particularly in St. Paul, they never would have stayed. Almost to a person, they believed they would leave within a few months to a year.
Part of that bond, they say, is an almost preternatural ability to recognize fellow travelers on the road to recovery. “We’re just like Mormons. You can’t see that secret underwear, but we know who else is wearing it,” said David Carr, who now works for the New York Times but as editor of the Twin Cities Reader in the 1990s hired several writers just out of rehab. “Most people in some kind of program are generally pretty reliable, and they tend to have seen a lot of life and that leads to fairly textured writing.
“I’m sorry that some of them came to Minnesota by way of the booby hatch, but I’m certainly glad they stayed. Besides, people are all gimped in some way, significantly.”
The migration of writers and other creative sorts such as artists and chefs has enriched the Twin Cities’ cultural life, Moyers noted. But it is the acceptance of recovering addicts from all walks of life that makes the area so amenable to them.
“People don’t look puzzled when we explain that we came from New York or Texas or Oregon to get treatment,” he said, “and you also don’t have to explain that gaping hole in the resumé, either, or why you’ve gone from being an executive or an airline pilot to making cappuccinos and lattés in a coffee house.”
Bill Ward • bill.ward@startribune.com
In their own words
A few words from four residents who originally came for rehab and decided to stay in the Twin Cities.
Bonni Rodin, 46, came from Long Island 19 years ago and lives in St. Paul. She’s a single mom working on a master’s in counseling and psychological services at St. Mary’s.
“When I first came out, I thought I’d do the 30-day treatment and then go home. But then I realized that I was concerned about going back into the same environment. And also, I had hope here. It was far from perfect, but to stay here meant a lot of support, in good times and bad.
“I was just so afraid of life without drinking. I didn’t want to die, but I didn’t know how to live without drinking. It’s not just drinking, and it’s not just drugs; there’s a whole lifestyle around it. I needed to learn about the lifestyle of being sober.
“Anywhere I go here, I know people, I run into people in the program, and it’s just nice to see them. I can move anywhere in the country, but I stay because I made a foundation here.”
Chris Edrington, 42, came from Boulder, Colo., nine years ago and lives in St. Paul. He operates nine local Sober Living houses (“post halfway house, post everything”).
“Originally I had met people who had already done this, and it was clear that they had something that I wanted. Practically you could call it stability, and a job. But also they had a centeredness.
“I wouldn’t have gone back to Colorado. I would have been in trouble. But I figured I’d be here six months, tops. I get super restless after the first month pretty much anywhere.
“Eventually it became about other things, about having a life. I ran a lot for a long time. I never settled. But this turned out to be a great place. I like the people, a lot. I’m enmeshed in the sober community, which provides me with a job. Minneapolis is a great city, and St. Paul is really awesome.
“I just bought a house for myself after living in a one-bedroom apartment on Grand Avenue for 7½ years. I am a Minnesotan now.”
Tony Clark, who’s in his 60s, came from New York City four years ago and lives in St. Paul. He is a freelance writer and former senior editor for two large book publishers and writer-producer for public television.
“During my years as a New Yorker, I saw the city much like the young man in E.B. White’s essay: a place like no other for someone prepared to be lucky. However, coming out of Hazelden, I realized that for me to continue to be ‘lucky,’ some serious changes were needed.
“I thought I would be here for one year, tops. My first reaction to St. Paul was architectural: It looked like Brooklyn Heights back when people could actually afford to live there. Over time, though, I have come to feel comfortable about St. Paul’s being a big small town — which I think is a better fit for me than a small big city.
“The old quote is that you cannot go home again. But, have I come to my true home here? If my history since 2003 is to be trusted, more will be revealed every day.”
Emily Carter Roiphe, who’s in her early 40s, came from New York 17 years ago and lives in south Minneapolis. She is a novelist and freelance writer; she reviews books for the Star Tribune.
“[After treatment] it became obvious that if I returned to New York again, I would be homeless, whereas in Minnesota I would receive help with housing, sobriety and my health. I had run through my entire support network in New York, was terrified of living on the streets, and a new life in Minnesota was not only the one option available to me, it was a hopeful step. To me Minnesota was hope.
“I no longer think Minnesota is the only place I won’t die alone; but the life I have made here is a good one, complete with friends, spouse, pets and yard. I’ve met people here who have become my true and real friends, and whom I value immensely.
“On the other hand, I’m alienated by the passive-aggressive aspects of ‘Minnesota Nice’ (the bumper sticker for which should read ‘Well, we like it here’). I’ve often thought it would be easier if I actually came from an entirely different country, then no one would expect me to know the proper cultural responses and behavior.”