Yoga for sobriety
Susan Hetz would spread a purple yoga mat onto her wooden porch every morning in 2009, where sunlight drenched brightly colored prayer flags and several ceramic sun plaques. Green plants surrounded Hertz as she greeted her day with reverence and gratitude — gratitude that on Jan. 15, 1998, she began her recovery from cocaine addiction.
Hertz began using drugs in the 1970s, but her use accelerated in the 1980s as a way of coping with a job loss.
After her morning ritual, Hetz was busy organizing recovery walks. The 2009 walk was Sept. 19 and sponsored by the Recovery Project, a peer-support program of Butler Memorial Hospital. In her job as the project leader, Hertz drew from her experience with struggle and accomplishment.
“Using was miserable. At the end I'd wake up, find what I needed and use,” she said. “I didn't go out. I was afraid to drive because I might get stopped. I could barley get out to get cigarettes.”
