The Wilderness Programme

by Marbella Sober Marbella Sober Home

Here at The Marbella Sober Home, we have the privilege of working with an extraordinary team. When we engage with the Wilderness Programme my go-to team member for the mountains is Willy Iraheta. Willy comes from El Salvador and is full of wisdom. He is great to talk to you and a brilliant mountain guide with a sense of direction that keeps us all safe.

Last week, with the client, we met Willy who drove us to an area called Ardales. There are plenty of activities in the park, a beautiful lake, and some fantastic trekking options. There is a huge forest on the banks of the Conde del Guadalhorce and a reservoir bordering the Gaitanes Gorge.

We were lucky to see some incredible birds, we visited the Ardales Caves (Ruinas de Bobastro) and the Turon Castle. The weather was cold and bitter, which made the experience even better.

In the area one can paddle, kayak, climb, horse ride, mountain bike, archery, and fishing. There is a huge amount of things to do so we were always on the go. It is a great way to get out in nature and to start breathing in air. What a life we are living. This is the thing about recovery. When using one thing or another I was always one step behind. In recovery, I feel I am one step ahead. Simple things like climbing mountains and heading into nature make the difference to me today. And I can see a dramatic change in the clients we work with when the client engages in extra activities.

The easiest route to a Higher Power is through nature. There is no lie in nature, it is perfect.

Our experience was quite the same. We set up a family-size tent. This was a great exercise in itself. We then started cooking food over the fire. We had eggs and coffee. Willy brought all the necessary camping items, chairs, beds, sleeping bags. We even had a guitar. ON the first night we listened to music whilst talking, followed by some songs on the acoustic guitar, followed by a meeting under the moonlight. And. We had a full moon and clear skies at night for the entire week in the mountains, the experience was spectacular.

The group bonded. And this is what we wanted to happen. Bonding creates a relationship that many of us have not experienced since childhood. And although many of us come from some pretty dark scenarios, we still have the human spirit within us which allows us to engage with other human beings. Without “relationship” life is empty and in my opinion pretty awful. Relationships are the key to everything. I was told in South Africa, I need to have a relationship with God, Myself and then other people. And in that order as well. Besides, the only relationship I had was with my drugs of choice. In recovery the good news is an I get my feelings back, and the bad news is I get my feelings back. The drugs I used stopped me from feeling anything at all. This was on purpose because I did not want to feel, as my feelings were too overwhelming.

Simple things in life used to baffle me. Walking, swimming, yoga, breathing, meditation, all os these activities we place under the heading, Mindfulness. As a going concern, I need to balance my mood and my direction. I want complete control, however, in our programme, we recognize our powerlessness and unmanageability. This actually allows us to tap into a power greater than us for direction.

Coming into the rooms at the beginning I thought "what are these people going on about?". "These guys are crazy!". "This must be a cult!". However, the truth is, the small suggestions really work, and the Wilderness Programme is one of those suggestions I will never get tired of. For more information about Marbella Sober Home Programme.