Source: Recovery Ranch

One of the most important aspects of recovery from substance abuse is being able to once again provide meaningful contributions to society. Here is a very good example of such an action taking place in Costa Rica, specifically in the Nicoya region of the Guanacaste province. The Costa Rica Star thanks Recovery Ranch for this inspiring press release and for their excellent work in our country:

Recovery Ranch Partners with Habitat for Humanity

Ranch Outreach, an extension of Recovery Ranch, sends Fourteen Clean and Sober Gentleman to Costa Rica to Build a Home for a Local Family

Santa Ynez, CA (PRWEB) February 21, 2015 / Recovery Ranch has expanded into the global community through its newest branch, Ranch Outreach, by offering fourteen of its residents the opportunity to travel abroad to Nicoya, Costa Rica with Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a family. Residents got to build a foundation for the house with local contractors, participate in intercultural activities with the family, and practice recovery together in a challenging new environment.

The trip was a success, providing a life-changing opportunity for clean and sober men with 6+ months sober to broaden their perspective and connect with the local family as well as each other. The Recovery Ranch standards of accountability, hard work, and selflessness were integral to the experience. It allowed residents the chance to apply the principles of the 12-step program and embrace their newfound role as positive ambassadors to those struggling with poverty.

Based on a consistent commitment to selflessness and community volunteer work, this partnership with Habitat for Humanity is a new, yet natural extension of Recovery Ranch’s action-based program of recovery.

Here’s a recent blog post from the building crew in Guanacaste:

February 14-15, 2015

“Last Days: Playa Guiones to El Rio Sucio”

Brooks W. — 15-1/2 Months Sober

Today was our final day in the town of Nicoya, where we spent the majority of our stay, and where the build was. We woke up early for the trip to “Playa Guiones” for a day of sand and sun. We drove through the pretty Costa Rican countryside, which was filled with big palm and mango trees. After passing through a small town where a woman was selling fruits and vegetables on the side of the road, we encountered what seemed to be a cattle drive right in the middle of the road! As soon as we arrived at the beach, we realized how strong the wind was when we started getting blasted by sand. We set our stuff next to a log on the beach. We spent some recreation time on the beach and out of the blue we saw a “Tortuga” (a sea turtle), who had crawled onto the beach to lay her eggs. She made her faithful journey and struggled from the shrubbery beyond the beach back to the water and swam off into the distance. By the time we left, we were all pretty sunburned and ready to get going.

 

Our next stop was lunch at a beautiful hotel that Habitat for Humanity set up for us. We enjoyed a beautiful lunch of chicken or fish, vegetables, rice that was accompanied by fresh fruit juice and topped off with a homemade flan that was “muy rico” or “very rich” en ingles. We took a group photo on the deck overlooking the ocean. We then started to make our way to the Marriott hotel in San Juan where we would spend our final night. En route we made a bathroom break at a fruit stand that had an insane variety of fresh fruit and local Costa Rican food. We used some of the last of our Costa Rican “Colones” to get 20 bananas for next to nothing that we enjoyed on the remainder of the trip. On the way to the hotel, we were listening to the local radio station when we heard a strange feedback noise and then heard the words “Santa Barbara, California” when we looked at our driver who was literally giving us a shout out on the Costa Rican Radio! He told us that he dedicated a song to us and that all of Costa Rica was listening.

 

When we arrived to the hotel, we got right into a closing ceremony with Habitat for Humanity who really appreciated the work that we did and the way that we presented ourselves. We got really close with our guides “Woody” and “Mau” and that was our final meal with them. It was emotional and very awesome for everyone involved.

 

The next day we got up early for a trip to the rain forest. The climate was drastically different within a matter of a half hour. We started to see lots of bright green trees and plants and waterfalls on the side of the road. Once we arrived, we entered the muddy and rainier-than-expected “Braulio Carillo Parque Nacional”and started to hike through the unknown. We saw some huge spiders, colorful birds and large mosquitoes. The “Rio Sucio” was next to it which means “dirty river” that comes from a volcano.

 

After an hour of exploring we headed back to the hotel, and to the Costa Rican Walmart for an excellent lunch (sounds weird but it was great!). Shortly after we headed to the airport for an emotional goodbye as we parted ways with our guides. Costa Rica is an amazing place that I am definitely going to return to. Helping others and being selfless keeps me sober, and is a huge part of my life. Being a part of this trip meant a lot to me, and I owe that to my brothers.