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A THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY APPROACH TO THE TREATMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE THE SELF JournalJ ournal VOLUME XXVIII • NO. 2 • OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF SELF ENHANCEMENT FOR LIFE FOUNDATION, INC. • JULY - DECEMBER 2020 HELP! IT’S CHRISTMAS A HOMEGROWN MUSICAL DEPICTING REAL LIFE CHALLENGES IN A TC DURING YULETIDE a See story and photos on pages 8-9. b 24TH GRADUATION RITES Standing up for sobriety amidst the new normal THIRTEEN IN 2020 — Seated are (L-R) Primary Director Jen Arbis, COO Sockie Averilla, FAM Chairperson Margie Stevens, Board Member Aldo Infante, Board VP Peter Stevens, President Martin Infante, Senior Director Lyn Simbulan, Upper House Head Pat Gallardo, Assistant Director Marichu Villegas, and Clinical Head Jonnalene Gonzales. Standing are graduates (L-R) Samuel Bengua, Regina Deleste, Glen Figueroa, Ernest Magbanua, Jodel Malapote, Isabelle Mendoza, Michael Noble, Janrebb Santos, Chiwon Song, Dory Sy, Ken Toshimitsu, and Gaby Vasquez. Not in photo is Ariza Lutero. ELF held its 24th Graduation Through The Rain. and SELF Board Vice President Peter the final stretch. A staunch ally, he Ceremonies in the morning of After the singing of the National Stevens with Clinical Head Jonnalene often attended SELF’s community August 8 for 13 residents who Anthem, the host Primary Program Gonzales assisting. celebrations. This time, via Zoom, he Ssuccessfully completed its comprehensive Director Jen Arbis welcomed everyone As each graduate stood up to receive congratulated SELF for pursuing its Treatment, Rehabilitation, and Value to the celebration and asked candidate the certificate they had worked so mission in the face of fire, volcanic Formation Program. Michael Noble to make the Invocation hard for, Senior Program Director Lyn eruption, and even the raging global For the first time the families of and candidate Ernest Magbanua to lead Simbulan read a précis of the roots of pandemic. He urged the graduates to the graduates were not present for the the Recitation of the TC Philosophy. their downfall and how they redeemed always look back on what they had momentous event. In view of the raging Robert Spakowski, a 2012 Graduate, themselves. gone through and to remember that pandemic, they were asked to remain at followed with the Opening Remarks The last to receive the Graduation help is just a phone call away. home and be content with participating via Zoom. In brief, he acknowledged Plaque was Ariza Lutero who had to Keynote Speech online via Zoom. the benefit of going through the entire catch a flight before the graduation and Standing Up for Sobriety Amidst program again after a full blown relapse attended via Zoom with her family in This year’s guest speaker was Isabel the New Normal, the theme chosen for and expressed heartfelt thanks to all Los Angeles, California. Quiros, a 2007 graduate. She recounted this year, spoke to this grim reality. those who had stood by him. Another first this year was the how she breezed through the program Nine of the candidates were pursuing Then, long time friend and TC guru awarding of “Take 2” Plaques to two but had to do it again because of their Aftercare program in the safe of SELF Aloysius “Kuya AJ” Joseph, the graduates of SELF who went through unfinished business. Her advice to the confines of the facility. For the five others Training Director of Samaritan Daytop the entire program again: Robert graduates who will probably find it engaged in outside activities, SELF took Village (SDV) New York, reached Spakowski who gave the Opening awkward when they first return home is the bold step of inviting them to come out from across the seas with a video Remarks and Emilio Tuason. to live by three Unwritten Philosophies and join the activities in person provided message. He greeted the graduates one Then it was time for the Graduate’s that sustained her: 1) Forgiveness; 2) they got themselves tested for COVID-19 by one and exhorted them to maintain Address. Glen Figueroa recounted Let go and let God; 3) Come clean and beforehand. In the end, one who lived the connectedness that is key to the misadventures that had led him make things right. in a far province could not make it and continued sobriety. to rehab. He noted that SELF was a The program came to a close with chose to join the next graduation. The message from the Family rigorous University of Life of which a hauntingly beautiful videotape of Association came next, this year by he and his batchmates were proud the graduates assisted by a few UH Graduation Program Dr. Bubut Vasquez, the proud father graduates. residents performing Changed For The Seminar Hall of SELF’s Training of candidate Gaby. In recounting the After this, everyone got a breather Good, a song especially adapted and Center was converted into a mini studio intense drama of their family’s journey with the Life and Times of Batch 2020, produced for the occasion by resident and families, special guests and friends of recovery, his simple advice to other a video presentation prepared by the theater director Inez Infante. began to join the Zoom meeting room families on what finally worked: “Trust SELF Media Department, chronicling Following this, the graduates had when it opened at 9:30 AM. in the system of SELF.” the laughter and tears of each graduate their photos taken with the board and At 10:00 AM the graduation Then it was time for the awarding of and their collective journey. officers of SELF and, another first, with entourage entered to SELF’s traditional the Graduation Plaques, presided over Undersecretary Benjamin Reyes of their families on the big monitor via processional, Barry Manilow’s I Made It by Founder & President Martin Infante the Dangerous Drugs Board opened Zoom. 2 | THE SELF JOURNAL Volume XXVIII, No. 2 Graduation Speech Butterflies at last By Bryan Glen Figueroa around with the freaks, geeks and weir- and hated myself. Graduate 2020 dos. In school, I never had any leader- My anger turned me into an island ship positions, but I had a “puwesto.” I totally isolated from my family and the INALLY, here we are! We made had a “puwesto” in all the four corners world. I was frustrated because I could it through the storm. To a cater- of our classrooms mainly because I was not cope with my emotions, failures, ness, schools for medicine, and so on. pillar, this may be the end. But a rowdy kid and did not sit properly. I and awkwardness. This inner turmoil For me, SELF is the university of Fto us graduates, this is just the begin- kept on moving around. I kept on going made me “blow up” when I got into a experience. It’s the kind of experience ning. Time to spread our wings and fly. outside the classroom for no reason. I confrontation with my brothers. And where we had the opportunity to step We now officially made it as butterflies. was always caught by my teachers laugh- unlike those younger days when they away from our normal lives and work on When I was chosen to be the gradu- ing and making jokes. were in control, this time, I just beat the ourselves. Turning us into artists creating ate speaker of Batch 2020, I was flat- I learned most of my lessons outside hell out of their asses. the greatest works of art — ourselves. tered. On the level of credibility, I think the classroom, not because I was street This made my parents decide to In this university, only the strongest the most credible speaker would be the smart, but because I was always sent out do something drastic. One day, I was of men and women survive and thrive. ones who made it to the key positions by my teachers, again, for my rowdy be- picked up by Aeromed and brought to This is where tragedies, disasters, and like the trusted Facilitators. They are all havior and for making fun of everybody, the Basement. Then I was transferred to failures are the professors; Where the here at the top. Me? I am here down including myself. SELF. Funny, when the ones close to you pain, time lost, and the challenges are below. I never made it to the top. I don’t I studied at DLSU for college. But hurt you, they call it love; but when you the curriculum; Where everything that even know what the heck happens inside since I grew up in a family that does not hurt them back, they call it violence. happens to us is a lesson. Some will face an all CO’s meeting. communicate well with each other, I My Program at SELF took me a long the wall and weep but some will rise Thank you for giving me the honor never learned how to connect effectively 20 months in the Lower House. Because above the challenges. of speaking. I hope to make you all with other people. So I only got to make I was afraid of failing and taking respon- The whole point of this program was proud. It’s a privilege to be with you to a few friends and was alone most of the sibilities, I got nowhere in the program. not only to become sober. The ultimate this very moment. I got to know more time. I hated myself because I thought I Then at the Upper House, because I was goal was to learn how to love ourselves about myself and other people. What was a social failure and a coward. so in a hurry to go out, I made mistakes so much that we would not need to colorful lives we’ve all had.