پروفسور بیل: چه نعمتی است که می ‌دانید این دانشگاه رویای شما را به آینده خواهد برد

Dear Hossein,  

I am glad to hear you are doing well.

I share your gratitude for our friendship and many collaborations. The support has enriched my own work and my own continued recovery.

News of the progress on the university construction is quite welcomed. Do send along photos of its progress when you are able. What a blessing it must be to know that this university will carry your vision far into the future. And my deepest congratulations on the purchase of the new building in Midtown.

As I was preparing the blog announcing release of our book, it occurred to me that I should also like to do an interview with you about the use of Guides and Co-guides in Congress 60. Interest in peer recovery support services are now growing in the United States and in Europe, and I think it would be a contribution to share your experience with this over the past two decades. I’ve prepared some questions below. If you can prepare brief written responses to these, I will post them in the form of a blog on my website.

1.   When did the use of Guides and Co-guides begin within Congress 60?

2.   How would you describe these roles?

3.   How do these roles differ from the support provided by trained professionals such as psychologists or psychiatrists?

4.   These recovery support roles seem very congruent with Persian values of humility, hospitality, and generosity. Do you think these roles would be effective across all cultures?

5.   How do you screen and prepare Guides and Co-guides within Congress 60.

6.   The tests for Guides and Co-guides sounds quite rigorous. What areas of knowledge and skill do these tests examine?

7.   What percentage of people taking these exams are able to pass them and serve in these roles?

8.   How many Guides and Co-guides currently serve within Congress 60?

9.   Congress 60 utilizes many recovery support mechanisms. How important do you feel the Guides and Co-guides are to the recovery process within Congress 60?

10.                     How does serving as a Guide or Co-guide strengthen the recoveries of those working in these roles.

11.                     The DST method medication support is now used in many Iran addiction treatment clinics outside of Congress 60. Are Guides and Co-guides also used within these clinics?

Would you be open to responding to these questions? There would be no hurry as I would not plan to post your responses as a blog until later in the summer.

I have been asked to keynote the 20^th anniversary celebration of the founding of Faces and Voices of Recovery—the national recovery advocacy organization in the U.S. I have ceased doing presentations in recent years but have agree to do this presentation either in person if I am able to travel or by video. It has been many years since I have been able to meet face-to-face with recovery leaders across the U.S. and this could be one of my last such opportunities. This will be a great privilege for me.

It seems every month brings a new health challenge for myself or for a member of my family. That is to be expected at my stage of life and it takes some work to put aside the anxieties this brings and just accept it as part of the process of life. I continue to squeeze great joy out of my daily life, even as the import of my daily activities diminishes. That joy comes from family and friends like yourself.

 Friends and Brothers Forever, 

Bill