Early in my recovery I went to an NA Convention and I heard a girl share.
“All my life I kept the right ones out and let the wrong ones in.”
That was a life changing moment for me that lead to the writing of “Amazing” with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.
After an emotional response from people in recovery the seed was planted to eventually start writing songs about Addiction. I started going to treatment centers with just my guitar and playing songs about my journey through addiction calling it Recovery Unplugged. I witnessed the client’s break down and cry relating to the songs. Something very healing started happening, and I began to see the possibilities of music as magical medicine.
From there my heart told me I needed to quit looking for Grammy’s and to focus on giving back. I always say you can’t keep what you got unless you give it away.
I was first introduced to InTheRooms.com because of being friends with the founders RT and Kenny. They asked me if I would write the theme song for their new project that they were working on…. I did, and it wound up winning a PRISM Award as Song of The Year. My relationship with InTheRooms.com is both of friendship and respect for what they set out to do and ultimately have accomplished.
That led me to Recovery Unplugged, which again, I met through attending recovery meetings. When my friend Paul Pellinger approached me to come and do my thing at his new treatment center, it led to a discussion and Recovery Unplugged was born.
I became the Director of Creative Recovery and used my experience of going to detox’s, treatment centers, and recovery music events to help birth this program. I believe that music is medicine and it can transport you from one place to another with no danger. Music is the only thing that can brighten your entire brain, produce endorphins, engage your heart and keep you safe.
In my groups I will use a specific song to create a dialog which encourages interaction among the group members and unites them to work together towards a common goal. The music also encourages the clients to express their thoughts and feelings rather than hide them. I have learned that once you reach an addict emotionally and gain their trust, the healing begins.
What we do at Recovery Unplugged is unique in that we use music to break down defenses in a non-threatening way. Music is the language of the soul that can trigger our emotions and touch us deeply. For the past five years I have been working on the program and created an album (check out our interview with Richie here) of music based on my own life experiences. These songs evoke almost every emotion from profound sadness to extreme joy and help those who are struggling to find words to help them heal. Working at Recovery Unplugged is probably the most rewarding experience of my career. Don’t get me wrong it’s great getting on stage and performing live in front of thousands of fans and getting awards, but truly, when a young patient comes up and says thank you, your song prevented me from putting a needle in my arm, and they hug me……there is absolutely nothing more rewarding.
So just for today, I will keep doing what I do, writing and producing new songs that relate to addiction and recovery, help save lives at Recovery Unplugged and continue to give away what I worked and continue to work hard to keep.
(You can see Richie perform with Stephen Tyler at a Recovery Unplugged session here)
For further information about Recovery Unplugged, you can call 855 766 6072.
Visit their website here
