Cornerstone of Recovery
A recovering addict who helps others recover: Meet Cornerstone’s Tony Davis
Now that he’s a recovering addict, Tony Davis — a.k.a. Tony D., as he’s known fondly around the drug and alcohol treatment center Cornerstone of Recovery — doesn’t talk much about his days in the darkness of addiction, back in Greenville, South Carolina. Suffice it to say it wasn’t pleasant — “I used every day,…
Read MoreNational Recovery Month spotlight: Sean Doesburg learns to love again
EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of National Recovery Month, we’re spotlighting employees of Cornerstone of Recovery who found a way out of addiction and alcoholism at our facility, and have returned as employees who now do the same for those who follow in their footsteps. Somewhere along the way, Sean Doesburg forgot how to love himself.…
Read MoreEmployee profile: For Greg Meade, suffering may be unavoidable, but misery is optional
The fundamental teachings of Buddhism are known as the Four Noble Truths, and the very first is one with which Greg Meade is intimately familiar. “The first Noble Truth,” writes Dr. Rick Hanson, “is that life contains inevitable, unavoidable suffering” — from acute distress like the diagnosis of a life-changing disease to the emotional distress…
Read MoreNational Recovery Month spotlight: Recovering alcohol Daniel Burtch leads others toward the light
EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of National Recovery Month, we’re spotlighting employees of Cornerstone of Recovery who found a way out of addiction and alcoholism at our facility, and have returned as employees who now do the same for those who follow in their footsteps. As a grateful recovering alcoholic, Daniel Burtch finds it both ironic…
Read MoreCornerstone at 31: The more things change, the more they stay the same
On Sept. 5, 1989, then President George H.W. Bush gave his first nationally televised address to declare drugs as “the greatest domestic threat facing our nation today.” [1] In East Tennessee, that wasn’t news to William J. “Bill” Hood, who had put together a small team of trusted friends and peers in the addiction treatment…
Read MoreNational Recovery Month spotlight: Seth Charles find his calling as a counselor in recovery
EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of National Recovery Month, we’re spotlighting employees of Cornerstone of Recovery who found a way out of addiction and alcoholism at our facility, and have returned as employees who now do the same for those who follow in their footsteps. As a counselor in recovery, Seth Charles knows all too well…
Read MoreNational Recovery Month spotlight: Chris Brewster learns a lesson about love
EDITOR’S NOTE: As part of National Recovery Month, we’re spotlighting employees of Cornerstone of Recovery who found a way out of addiction and alcoholism at our facility, and have returned as employees who now do the same for those who follow in their footsteps. The first time Chris Brewster got drunk, he made a deal…
Read MoreMEET THE FAMILY! Cornerstone Program Director Anne Young reflects on 35 years of sobriety
Labor Day weekend 1985 was the last hurrah for Anne Young, the Director of Residential Programs at Cornerstone of Recovery. She remembers vividly driving up to a hotel in the mountain resort town of Gatlinburg, where her cousin tended bar. The liquor was plentiful that weekend, and the mission was succinct: finish it off. “They…
Read MoreNational Recovery Month spotlight: Sara Smiddy gives back to the facility that saved her life
One of the goals of National Recovery Month, observed every September, is to “highlight inspiring stories to help thousands of people from all walks of life find the path to hope, health, and overall wellness” [1] — and few members of the Cornerstone of Recovery family embody that inspiration more than Sara Smiddy. As an…
Read MoreMEET THE FAMILY: For Cornerstone’s Cissy Garner, cleanliness is next to Godliness
When patients come to Cornerstone of Recovery for drug and alcohol treatment, they’re not their best selves. Whether they come of their own accord or they’re forced to seek help because of employers or family members, they frequently arrive on what they believe at the time is the worst day of their lives. It’s not,…
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