3rd Street Beat
Beasts of the Lower East! INSIDE: Poetry! Memes! Prose! Sudoku! Pics!
Produced by Clients of The Recovery Center 8 east 3rd Street 10003 #18 May 2021
The 3rd Street Beat Mission Statement The Third Street Beat is a newsletter written by and created for people with addiction. Our mission is to validate that experience so people know that they are not alone, and to emphasize the many unique roads that we take to recovery. This is an opportunity to share our experiences to creatively support each other. We are non-political, non-denominational, multi-racial, and gender neutral. Our mission is one of recovery and harm reduction, and all experiences are welcome. All the viewpoints herein are personal in nature and related specifically to our contributors’ recovery.
TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURES Perfection Perception by Moses F p. 3 Love Over Blood Shed by Mike Roberts p. 3 The Gateway to my Recovery by Bengia Ragland p. 5 When I Couldn’t See by Mike Roberts p. 5 Find Your Purpose by RWA p. 7
The 3rd Street Beat Editorial Team
The Rest
The 3rd Street Beat is produced by The Recovery Center community with assistance from the occupational therapy team.
Sudoku p. 2 Memes p. 4 Sudoku Solution p. 5 Scenes from TRC p. 6 TRC Schedule p. 8
3rd Street Beat back issues can be downloaded at: www.projectrenewal.org/rc-newsletters
Follow TRC on Instagram! @recoverycenternyc
SUDOKU (solution p. 5) The rules of the game are simple: each of the nine blocks has to contain all the numbers 1-9 within its squares. Each number can only appear once in a row, column or box.
Perfection Perception - by Moses Flores Who am I to judge? Who are you to judge? Who are we to judge? Here's a better question. What or who qualifies anyone to be a judge of? Wouldn't one have to be perfect to qualify as a judge? Then again how objective can one be when judging imperfection, when he is perfect himself? How can you understand others flaws when they have never experienced the turmoil or the adversity that comes with being imperfect? The word perfect is just that, it is only a word. Perfection is only perception. How you perceive things may not be how the next person perceives things. Perfection is something without flaw or something evenly measured and matched. So now, I pose this question to all you judges. Who is flawless and in perfect measure? Do not rush, I'll wait! Yet then again like I said. Perfection is only one's perception. So what's perfect to you. Is perfect by choice. The choice that every person is free to have and express. Everyone should be able to express themselves freely without judgment nor ridicule, because again no one is perfect. SoI i ask this question again. Who are you to judge?
Love Over Blood Shed by Mike Roberts
Love is pure and love has been found but in the midst of something that should be considered as harmless has now created blood shed amongst many that will never even get to know love so how could we allow the fate of love for two to destroy many so to avoid the pain and suffering of many let’s create an oath that will not allow anyone to raise their swords in battle over the gift of love that two people have for one another. 3
4
The Gateway to my Recovery SUDOKU solution
By Bengia Ragland (TRC Soldier) As a child, I grew up with high expectations of myself, and somewhere along the way my vision was distorted with the desire to get involved with smoking pot and drinking. As a result, I began to lose myself with drugs. I am the oldest as a child in my family, and just knew I would be more than in and out of rehabs, as a result of using drugs and missing out on so much in life. Now that I’m back in the right frame of though in life to begin the long road of recovery. I am in the process of taking the recovery coach class, so that I can become more productive in life. In this process, I have reconnected with my son and grans 😊 Here at TRC, I feel right at home with the staff and all the wonderful that they offer in the program. So now I have a foundation again. I can see what life can be like from a clear perspective, and to be a better person in life by loving myself and others. I can’t say enough about how TRC has given me a clear pathway to follow. Thank you all so much, now I’m a happy camper again. Thanks 😊 WOW
WHEN I COULDN’T SEE - Mike Roberts
The writer within wants to be unleashed, as if a beast on a chain, filled with anger and pain. How would that be directed? No one knows. Everyone’s on edge and awaits that moment, only to see we all have a perception. I want it to be, it cause trouble at times, and I’ve raised hell just to be truly myself. It’s all I wanted to do. No time to waste feeling as if none wasted at all. Reaching, and at a point where I can stand tall. It’s a reminder to me that I could easily fall. Must I admit it’s a fear that I don’t want to face, specially while obtaining the feeling that I’m in God good grace. 5
s e n e c S from TRC
6
Find your purpose. Without purpose life is meaningless. You can try many things but without purpose you most likely will fall. Only knowledge of your purpose will help you to achieve your goal... Find out what you CAN do and most important what you LIKE to do... T ry your best. Be consistent. If you fall, stand up and try again. Do not even think to give up. Only through our failure do we learn, only through our failure do we gain our life experience. Only through our failure we get stronger. "For a righteous (faithful) man may fall seven times and rise again..." (Proverbs 24:16). My Great Inspiration is my Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST. He said to me: "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid...; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6). He never give up on me! So who am I to give up on myself?!.. RWA. HOLY PASCHA. 2021 Ευλογείτη
My Life, My Addiction by Dalbert Oden M li go up d ow so das e bte tan otr beus I he dias ald adti tat mes o ca’t av evy ay ke u wt i t e. I he n adti tat las av on an kes me r no wtig o he f in y if us ke yo adcin u fon n tel yo dias evy da. Fo m, it’s o mite t a te base y adcin os’t la ges.
Recovery Center Weekly Schedule for May - June 2021
The Recovery Center Thanks for reading our 212-533-8400 x144 for Intake 8 East 3rd Street Outpatient Substance Use Treatment Program
Please be safe….Ask for TRC or the 2nd Chance Program if you need fentanyl test strips or naloxone kits & training!
newsletter, we hope you enjoy it!
The 3rd Street Beat is accepting submissions!
If you would like to submit a piece of art, your recovery story, or other work, see OT in the Recovery Center or attend the Newsletter Meeting at 2:00 pm on 8 Thursday afternoons. Every life is worth saving!
Are you in need of crisis services or medically supervised detox? 24 hour Intake hotline 212-763-0596