Clients embrace individuality and community to create an original work of art

Uniquely similar. That’s the story of every individual who finds his or her way to recovery from addiction. Addicts come from different backgrounds, mask varying childhood wounds, and experience addiction from their own perspective. They are unique. Upon entering the realm of recovery, something magical takes place: they begin to establish connection with fellow addicts, which allows them to get honest, share openly and identify with one another. They are similar.

For 40 years, MARR’s community-focused treatment has served as a successful treatment model. Developing relationships with community members helps to break down the addict’s walls of isolation due to drug and alcohol use. Individuals who were once cut off from community with others now come together united. This process encourages them to reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings, offer strength and hope to those in need, and hold each other accountable. They share their unique stories and striking similarities.

Clients of MARR’s Women’s Recovery Center recently participated in an art therapy project, where each woman was given the opportunity to create a mosaic tile. No specific instructions were offered; instead, participants were invited to explore their inner selves through creative expression. The result? Every tile tells a story, and every story connects with another to form a masterpiece. Similar to the therapeutic community, each tile depends on the next to produce a unified whole.

The tiles are unique and special to the individual designers, and they join together to construct a brilliant collage with a common theme. They are uniquely similar, just like the artists who created them.