Summit for Sobriety

My son has been on a long tough journey, with much better views now coming into view.  He is starting an amazing new journey, which I'll let him explain in his words:

 
Mission Statement: Summit for Sobriety is attempting to raise awareness about sobriety and a life of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. We are raising money for patient-aid donations that provide treatment for people suffering from chemical dependency.

Goal: We are working to eliminate the stigma associated with people who suffer from this disease, and prove that a limitless life of recovery is possible through the “gift of sobriety.”

Our Part: Climbing Mount Rainer is a symbol of our dedication to a meaningful life of recovery, service to others, and a need to raise awareness about this prevalent problem. Climbing a mountain, like a life of recovery, is difficult yet ultimately rewarding.

Hello, my name is Tommy Chester and I am an addict.  I am proud to admit that I am an addict and an alcoholic living a life of recovery. In sobriety I have found a life that is worth being proud of. Every single day I feel blessed, I have amazing friendships, a wonderful relationship with my family, I am on the “Dean’s list” in college, I am able to participate in my favorite activities, and I have a wonderful recovery community around me. I feel gratitude every single day for the opportunity I have been given.

However, my days have not always been so bright. I have failed out of college…twice, I have alienated countless friends, I have been arrested on drug charges, spent time in psychiatric hospitals, offended employers, locked my self inside my house on week long drug binges, kicked out of boarding school, lied, cheated, and stolen. But none of these troubles can compare to the despair I felt, the inability to stop on my own. I woke up each morning with sheer determination to stay clean and went to bed with self-loathing suppressed by a haze of chemicals.

After waking up in a police holding-cell, in France, with a black eye, and no memory of the previous night, I decided that I needed help. It was then I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. I was sent to the Hazelden Center for Youth and Families. It was there that I discovered that I had a disease recognized by the American Medical Association. Furthermore there were ways of recovering from addiction. It was in those thirty days that I decided that I wanted to live in sobriety.

However Hazelden did not teach me how to stay sober, it taught me that I wanted to stay sober. It was Gray Wolf Ranch in Port Townsend, Washington, which taught me how to stay sober. During my time there I was connected into the recovery community, and given the tools I need to stay sober. Not only was I shown a life of recovery, but also I made lasting friendships that mean the world to me.

One of these friendships is with Andrew Thomas. Andrew Thomas and I went through both Hazelden and Gray Wolf Ranch together. It was at Gray Wolf Ranch that our friendship blossomed, and where we learned that we needed to give back to recovery community what was so freely given to us. However it is also where we realized that there was a critical flaw with the treatment system, only people with reasonably wealthy backgrounds were able to attend. 

In discussing what we might be able to do, Andrew and I decided that we would start a fundraiser. We decided that we would climb Mt. Rainer as symbol of our dedication to meaningful life of sobriety, thus we named our fundraiser “Summit for Sobriety.” Summit for Sobriety is a fundraiser for 4806 Foundation. Many young adults cannot afford treatment for their addiction or alcoholism; this is where the 4806 Foundation steps in. The 4806 Foundation provides patient aid donations that give countless young adults the opportunity to find a beneficial life in recovery.

We are asking for donations to further our cause. All donations go directly to the 4806 foundation. The 4806 Foundation is 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit organization. If you are interested in supporting our cause, or interesting in helping the countless suffering addicts and alcoholics who cannot afford treatment, then visit our website at:

http://summitforsobriety.com/

Or Contact us at:

Summitforsobriety@gmail.com or Tommy@summitforsobriety.com or Andrew@summitforsobriety.com 

Appreciatively, Tommy Chester

Comments

[Susan Spagnola]

John,

You must be so proud of Tommy. I can only imagine how hard this has been, although please know that you are not alone in enduring the challenges of parenting, although we are not all as open as you and Laurie. We will happily support Tommy in this effort and wish him the best as he continues down his road of recovery.

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