{"id":1556,"date":"2021-08-27T18:32:16","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T18:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/?p=1556"},"modified":"2021-08-27T18:32:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T18:32:18","slug":"charlie-miller-real-recovery-is-no-fish-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/2021\/08\/27\/charlie-miller-real-recovery-is-no-fish-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Miller: Real Recovery Is No Fish Story!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Charlie Miller: Real Recovery Is No Fish Story!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some think the oncorhynchus mykiss<\/em> is the most fearful, finned creature known to man.\u00a0 When small animals went missing along the shoreline leaving only gooey puffs of fur behind, the tri-lakes communities went into an uproar!\u00a0 Chaos reigned at the townhall meeting until young CJ Miller raked his fingernails down a chalkboard to get the townsfolk\u2019s attention.\u00a0 He and his old man Charlie would find that lake monster once and for all, they exclaimed, and save summer vacation season too!\u00a0 The night was black as coal when father and son set out on the foreboding waters.\u00a0 The boat nearly swamped when CJ hooked it, and Charlie held tight onto CJ\u2019s boots to keep him from going overboard.\u00a0 Yet, in the end, in that age old battle between man and rainbow trout, this victory went to good guys Charlie and CJ!\u00a0 Now \u2013 nobody actually knows who captured the triumphant moment on film.\u00a0 Some say it was an overjoyed and grateful government official.\u00a0 Others say it was Charlie\u2019s supportive and good humored wife.\u00a0 Whoever it was, the proof is right here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A whale of a tale?  We honestly can say that Charlie did not make this story up.  We did.  But hey \u2013 we liked this picture of father and son reunited so much that we just had to add a matching back story.  Moreover, while that story may be extravagant, Charlie will tell you, and we at CORE wholeheartedly confirm: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real recovery is no fish story!  With God all things are possible!  In addition to recovering from a hopeless condition of mind and body, one can be reunited with family, find the true love of their life, and more!  The essential foundation is reliance upon God and the working of a few simple steps.<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand how Charlie arrived to CORE, we have to go back a number of years.  He was only 12 when his father passed away, and his mother ended up working long hours to provide for him and his two brothers.  In her absence the three boys went looking for fun.  By the time he got into high school, Charlie was smoking marijuana and drinking.  Then he discovered methamphetamines.  When he graduated in 2009, \u201cit was off to the races<\/em>.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a five year run, Charlie \u201cwas boss of the log, had a good job, and was able to maintain it \u2013 life was still manageable<\/em>.\u201d  He had a fianc\u00e9, his son CJ, a home, his own truck, and was living the high life.  As so often happens with chronic meth use, the wheels eventually fell off.  Charlie\u2019s sole concern became getting and using meth \u2013 up to twenty or more times a day.  That\u2019s when things got bad: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBad gets when you rob and steal and do whatever you need to do in order to get that next fix.  That\u2019s bad.  And when you can\u2019t function normally without being high.  It\u2019s either, one, you\u2019re in bed or, two, you\u2019re high.  That\u2019s bad<\/em>.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie ended up losing everything: his fianc\u00e9, son, job, home, vehicles \u2013 everything.  He even was estranged from his own mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, it\u2019s not that Charlie hadn’t tried to quit methamphetamines.  For years he\u2019d been in and out of treatment centers all around the Missouri Bootheel.  \u201cI really wanted to quit, but I didn\u2019t know how<\/em>,\u201d he says.  In 2015 Charlie again landed in a 21-day treatment center in Stapleton, Missouri.  That’s when people from CORE showed up and did a presentation about the cycle of addiction and how to recover.  When Charlie saw that, he said to himself, “You know what?  I’m getting out of here<\/em>.”  He loaded up in the CORE van and rode back with them to Branson.  “I came here with a trash bag of clothes and a carton of cigarettes \u2013 that’s it<\/em>,” he says.  Happily for him, he didn\u2019t need material possessions to recover.  His willingness to work the 12 Steps was more than sufficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest differences between CORE and inpatient treatment programs, Charlie says, is that at CORE one learns to actually live in recovery.  Treatment programs are institutionalized, highly regimented places.  Everything one does is scheduled, from the time one wakes up in the morning to finally going to bed at night.  By contrast, at CORE Charlie was able \u201cto live my life and get recovery at the same time<\/em>.\u201d  He had to go out into the world every day and face real-life challenges.  He learned to live successfully by using the tools found in the Big Book. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie also credits having a great sponsor, Gary Osborn, our Operations Manager.  He describes Gary as \u201cmy sponsor and mentor, without a doubt the biggest influence on me getting where I am today<\/em>.\u201d  Gary had years of recovery experience and had seen it all.  Charlie remembers that, although Gary often \u201ccould tell me what would happen before it happened<\/em>,\u201d he didn\u2019t always call Gary and admit that he was right (and then Charlie smiled and winked).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After completing our recovery program, Charlie continued with our Second Mile group.   In due time he also became a house manager.  Guys were coming to him for advice now, and he was expected to oversee them working the Steps. \u201cI told myself, it wasn’t about me anymore. It was about the next guy coming in<\/em>,\u201d he says, \u201cso I made sure that once a week we all ate together. We would go out and hang out together.  Not only was I their house manager, I was also their friend<\/em>.\u201d  He went on to run several houses.  Charlie remembers the guys in his houses being like family, a brotherhood.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie also began to address his financial responsibility for child support, which helped get him on the same page with CJ\u2019s mother for visitation.  Instead of being at odds, they worked together to make sure Charlie could see his son again.  They\u2019ve since rekindled the relationship, and Charlie spends every chance he gets with CJ.  He attends his son\u2019s sporting events and sees him on weekends and during vacations.  CJ spends his summers with Charlie too.  Among other things, they go fishing together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Setting financial goals and sticking with them also allowed Charlie to bring his mom to Branson to live.  He\u2019s embarked on a new career too, and bought a home and car.  The latter are important because, in August 2020, Charlie married his lovely wife Shea.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shea and Charlie first met while he was still a CORE client, but it wasn\u2019t until a couple years later that he saw her again and asked her out.  They began dating exclusively but put off talk about making the relationship permanent because of Charlie\u2019s responsibilities as a house manager.  She supported his commitment to CORE every day they were together, Charlie remembers, throughout the entire journey.  And married life?  \u201cIt\u2019s great<\/em>,\u201d Charlie says, \u201cI’ve got the best wife in the world<\/em>.\u201d  We at CORE have to agree with this last observation about her being the best wife, especially when husband and step-son come home parading a squishy fish around like they\u2019ve just caught Moby Dick.  A wife who can greet them with equanimity and good humor under these circumstances is alright in our book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlie gives credit to CORE for helping him to recover, saying, \u201cCORE saved my life, it\u2019s the number one reason who I am today<\/em>.\u201d  More than anybody, however, he credits God.  When he first got to CORE and began working the Steps, Charlie realized that he had resentments against God.  They\u2019d been there since he was a child, when his dad died.  His need for recovery forced him to put matters into a different perspective.  \u201cIf you read the AA book and do what it says, it will lead you to God<\/em>,\u201d says Charlie, \u201cyou start to spot His blessings, the miracles<\/em>.\u201d  He felt as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders while working the Steps, after which God has continually showed his goodness.  Everyday Charlie strives to be better or learn something new.  He also tries to go out of his way each day to help somebody without expecting anything in return.  In gratitude to his Maker, Charlie wants to do this, \u201cbeing able to be God’s blessing to somebody else!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Charlie Miller: Real Recovery Is No Fish Story! Some think the oncorhynchus mykiss is the most fearful, finned creature known to man.\u00a0 When small animals went missing along the shoreline leaving only gooey puffs of fur behind, the tri-lakes communities went into an uproar!\u00a0 Chaos reigned at the townhall meeting until young CJ Miller raked…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1556\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}