It's 6.15am aboard Flight number VS022 from Dullas airport, Washington D.C., to London, Heathrow

I’m visiting The McShin Foundation here in Richmond, Virginia on the very last stage of my Winston Churchill 2010 Fellowship Recovery Tour of the states. Over the last four days John Shinholser, Founder and President, and Carol McDaid, his wife, who is a board member and former-chair of Faces and Voices of Recovery, have been looking after me and showing me how John manages to offer a first class peer-support recovery service without receiving a penny in public funding.

Since McShin Foundation’s humble beginnings, when he relied almost exclusively on friends in recovery and their families, the organization has grown to include a 35-bed recovery housing programme that hosts more than 2,000 support meetings each year. Because the McShin Foundation is self-funded, John has adopted innovative fundraising strategies and, through them, he has been able to attract a diverse set of benefactors. Over the past 3 years, their annual revenue has averaged $500,000.

McShin Foundation has certified more than 150 recovery coaches – and they did it their way, the recovery way. Additionally, they’ve succeeded in attracting more than 7,000 to their annual Recovery Fest, an event celebrating recovery from substance use that takes place every September, during Recovery Month.

They’ve also impacted decision-making and policy at the local, State, and national levels through outreach and advocacy conducted by PIRs (People In Recovery) and their allies. In Virginia, lawmakers on a joint subcommittee studying strategies and models for substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and recovery, approved some of the Foundation’s recommendations, including:

• Developing and implementing a voucher model at various treatment and recovery service provider sites;

• Fostering learning about current recovery community organizations, continuing to fund their successful programmes, and developing new ones; and,

• Exploring reimbursement options for autonomous recovery community organizations.

As John told me, “Any group of people committed to their recovery can create and sustain a truly localized recovery community organization, as we’ve done.”

John’s verve, notwithstanding his passion for recovery and his drive have played their parts too, I would suggest, not to mention his astute, business acumen.

John took me to meet the Sheriff of Henrico County, Michael Wade, who commands one of the largest sheriff’s offices in the Commonwealth with over 361 sworn and civilian staff. Sheriff Wade’s primary role is to provide security for Henrico’s two regional jails, security for the county’s two county’s two courthouses and fourteen Judges.
Sheriff Wade is the remarkable man who created and introduced the R.I.S.E programme (Recovery In a Secure Environment) into the Henrico County’s two Regional Jails. We called to see him at his home as he’d just a few days earlier undergone a knee replacement operation. (He’s recovering well, incidentally.)

The R.I.S.E program’s history dates back to August 15, 2000 when a men’s 20-bed
Community, based on the Social Learning Model of recovery, was started at Henrico
County Regional Jail, East.

Since that time, the program has grown into seven communities at Jail East and one community at Henrico County Jail (Jail West).

The model for the R.I.S.E program has changed since the beginning, but it is still based on principles that include social learning theory, the 12-step philosophy, and Cognitive-Behavioural strategies. More simply, the program provides tools for recovery and fosters self-esteem and self-efficacy (the belief that a person can make his/her life better).

Each community within the R.I.S.E program, with the leadership of appointed Advisors and guidance by Mental Health and Sheriff’s Office, implements and monitor its schedule, programming, and rules. Mental Health/Substance Abuse staff develops, revise, and monitor all components of the recovery program. Mental Health has ultimate responsibility for insuring the general content and direction of each community.

The entire R.I.S.E program is completely voluntary, which means participants may only enter through their own choice and can leave the program at any time through their own choice. Programming in all communities is seven days a week with a reduced schedule on the weekends.

“Prisoners are much more cooperative and less prone to violence and antisocial behaviour since we’ve introduced the programme,” Sheriff Wade told me. “And, instead of sitting around all day doing nothing, they are now actively engaged in their recoveries. Their quality of life has improved immeasurably as a consequence.”

I was privileged to be invited to address over 150 women prisoners and over 250 male prisoners on the following day, 18th November, at the Henrico County Regional Jail East. It was an experience I shall never forget – primarily, because of the obvious enthusiasm they displayed (especially the women) towards their newfound recoveries, and the new hope and purpose this remarkable R.I.S.E. programme had instilled in their lives.

Later, the same day, John Shinholser, invited me to talk to PIRs at the McShin Foundation. I talked to them about the importance of accepting our humanness, and how I needed to confront the burden of being human by becoming a risk-taker. That’s an ongoing challenge I have to face every day, incidentally!

That same evening, John took me to an NA Open Fellowship meeting. It was one of the biggest meetings I’ve seen in a long time. I listened, for a change! The theme of this discussion meeting was ‘Slogans, and how they are misinterpreted’. It’s amazing how we misconstrue ‘One day at a Time’, ‘Easy does it’, Let go and Let God’, etc. to justify our inaction and lack of forward planning.

The concept of anonymity is another one we often misinterpret and, as a result, the Fellowships, unless we’re careful, are in danger of becoming invisible.

On 19th November, John drove me to nearby Caroline County to meet Anthony G. “Tony” Spencer, Caroline County Commonwealth’s District Attorney.

Tony and John are collaborating in order to solve a criminal justice problem that’s facing Caroline County and all other American rural communities: prison population is increasing year on year, as is the cost. The solution, they expect, will show measurable success in the first year and every year thereafter. They expect also to generate enough savings in jail, probation and other costs to be able to sustain and expand their plan.

Under their plan, they will find defendants who are good candidates for recovery and reintegration into their communities, and Tony will offer them an alternative to conviction and jail. By using a carrot-and-stick approach - the first four or five times a participant relapses, he or she will not be removed from the programme. Instead, his bond will be revoked temporarily, and he will go to jail, one week for the first relapse, two weeks for the second, and so on - they expect to see about 50% of them succeed. To sustain and expand their plan will require half of the money they will be saving in the cost of imprisonment, pre-trial and probation supervision, and court-ordered treatment.

Defendants charged with serious violent felonies, such as rape, armed robbery and murder, will not be eligible.

Tony hopes to see a dramatic drop in crime and an increase in the quality of life.

I was later taken on a tour of the old and new courthouses and enjoyed a pleasant lunch with both of these dedicated men. I am conscious of the fact that it takes just one man with a vision to make a difference. In this case we have two of them! And they need just $55,000 as a one-off investment to get the programme up and running.

John and Carol have not only opened their home to me these past few days but also their hearts. This was the perfect end to my Fellowship Recovery Tour. And the weather’s been perfect too! Last night (Saturday) we all enjoyed a recovery get-together of smoked turkey and barbequed tender-loin of beef at Daniel and Mckenzie Paine’s home. All evening 9 of us PIRs played games, chatted, laughed and reminisced whilst 5 little-ones entertained themselves in the adjoining room. We needed no alcohol or drugs to enjoy ourselves, just fine fellowship and that special sense of gratitude that always accompanies recovery.

I’m writing these last few sentences as I near Heathrow airport, London. It’s 6.15am aboard Flight number VS022 from Dullas airport, Washington. Sitting next to me is a young lawyer, Mohsin, who’s been keeping me company on the long flight home. He tells me, after listening to some of my tales, that he’s now considering applying for a Winston Churchill Fellowship next year!

I’ll be preparing a report on my Recovery Tour and also a video diary which, I hope, will capture some of the magnificent experiences I’ve encountered on this life-changing tour.

I’d also like to thank the following principles for their kindnesses to me: Phil Valentine CCAR (Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery), Mark Ames (Vermont Recovery Network Coordinator), Dr Arthur Evans and Professor Roland Lamb, CBH/MRS (City of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioural Health & Mental Retardation Services), Pat Taylor (Faces and Voices of Recovery, Washington, D.C.), and John Shinholser and Carol McDaid (The McShin Foundation, Richmond, Virginia).

And a special thanks to William (Bill) White for his advice and for inspiring the Recovery Tour, and to Cheryle Pacapelli, Director of Operations at CCAR and Jennifer Sears, DBH/MRS Special Projects Co-ordinator, for helping me plan my itinerary.

I’d also like to wish Peter Rainford, (another Churchill Fellow) for his input into my Recovery Tour, and for his friendship and support. I’ve got a funny feeling I’m going to be seeing a lot of Peter!

Thanks all of you who’ve followed my blogs over the past two months. I’ve appreciated greatly your comments and your support.

Finally, I’d like to thank the Trustees of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I hope that, by the time my report is presented, I will have done justice to the great man’s memory.