Across the miles and along the shores of every country we have visited there have always been demonstrations of recovery.  Meetings.  People living and enjoying life.  Great food.  Wellness!  Great art!  Spiritual nurture and principled living.  Each glimpse a memory.  A story worth sharing.

I am evidence that Recovery works!  I have lived and enjoyed life without substances for 22 years.  No drugs, no alcohol, no replacements!  Doing recovery by the book!  We have been blessed in recovery to have seen the continents, the beaches, the heritage sites and the meetings in every place we visited.  All this because recovery works!

This year we are blessed to be in Portugal.  The talks were cheap.  The conversations unbelievable.  But, here I am in a country that went from worst to best in under two decades. Recovery works! It is a miracle… A bit like a seed that sprouts new life.

Last month we planted the fall lettuce. A flat of budding plants craving space to grow.  Air, water, soil, sun and so forth.  Walking into Portugal was like walking into the greenhouse.  All the work, the struggles, the time had passed and there was lettuce.  There was more than that there was a salad.

Recovery requires more than a great plan, it requires community and in Portugal we were blessed to find community and we will be led by community and we will be inspired by community.  For recovery to work it might mean standing/living in the middle of a community of people who want to get well.

Portugal has spent 20 years growing a Recovery community!