The National Council on Alcoholism/Lansing Regional Area is the longest serving alcohol and other drug treatment agency in the Greater Lansing area, serving the community for over 50 years. For Neighbors in Action, we speak with the NCA/LRA’s Jessica Robinson and a participant in one of their recovery programs.
Deciding to seek help for addiction is the first step toward recovery. But there are many steps beyond it on the way to sobriety.
The National Council on Alcoholism in the Lansing Regional Area offers several programs designed to walk people through the entire recovery process.
Current State learned more about the work of the organization from Executive Director Jessica Robinson and Stacey Hiller, who has been through a recovery program at the NCA/LRA.
“I had struggled with addiction and alcoholism for quite a while,” says Hiller. “I was at a desperation point where I needed serious help.”
Hiller says the support offered in the various recovery programs was indispensable to her sobriety.
“The structure of the program was very helpful – they don’t give you time to just sit and think about everything” says Hiller.
When candidates come to the NCA/LRA for help, the counselors work with each individual to identify what programs they need.
“We have outpatient, intensive outpatient, and residential programs,” says Robinson. “There is also transitional housing once they’ve accomplished some residential treatment.”
The various levels of treatment means that each patient makes their own decision about the program they choose.
“I actually had set up a meeting with the NCA for an intensive outpatient treatment. When I went to my first class, I knew I needed something more intense,” says Hiller.
Hiller says the counselors recommended a residential program called the Glass House. She spent 77 days in the home, and says she’s in a good place today. For Hiller, the most impactful part of the NCA program was the one-on-one work done with the counselors.
“One of the nice things is that a lot of the people working in the program are, or were, in recovery themselves,” says Hiller.
Being able to relate to the patients is an important part of being able to understand what they’re going through.
“I am in long time recovery myself; I’ve been sober for eight years,” says Robinson. She believes this connection helps her impact lives positively.
“I think the personal experience of struggling and suffering pushes me,” says Robinson. “It drives the passion that allows me to serve.”
Article by Ethan Merrill, Current State intern
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