msjacksonpei@gmail.com
It’s a story not everyone lives to tell.
A tale about the transition from addiction to sobriety.
This is the storyline behind Doug Llewellyn’s recent self-published book If God Were An Apple Tree.
“It’s about my journey to recovery - without getting into all the negative background,” Mr Llewellyn said from Victoria, BC, where he’s lived for the past 13 years.
The Georgetown native said he was inspired to write the book because of a steep decline in successful recovery rates he’s seen in his jobs over the years as a substance abuse counsellor and a personal development counsellor.
“Addiction is not what it was when I first started out,” said Mr Llewellyn, who works as a Program Coordinator for the addictions division of the Salvation Army. “We have more people going back and using than ever before.”
Mr Llewellyn believes the road to a successful recovery begins with a step towards God and a step away from one’s past.
“After awhile we begin to believe the lie that ‘we are what we do.’ And once you get into that lie, it’s hard to get back out,” Mr Llewellyn said.
“But that’s only what we do, it’s not who we are.”
Mr Llewellyn said the book, which took him two years to write, was inspired by his own search for God - something he had refused to do in the past.
“The instant I said yes, my whole life changed.”
In his earlier years, Mr Llewellyn spent 10 years in jail for numerous crimes. As a result, he said, people pegged him as a troublemaker.
“I used to judge people by their actions, too, the same way I was judged by mine, “he said.
However, as soon as he found God, Mr Llewellyn said, ”I never saw people the same way again.”
When he moved to the west coast with his wife and children in tow, he began working for the John Howard Society. It’s a not-for-profit organization that helps people and the families of people who are at risk of becoming involved in the criminal justice system.
“My job was to go into the prisons. I had to work with the inmates,” he said. “They sent me into probably the worst prison in Canada for sex offenders.”
Because of his newfound way of looking at people, though, he said he didn’t see the inmates as criminals.
“All I saw were people who were searching for the same thing I was looking for, they were just trying to find out ‘who am I?’”
Although Mr Llewellyn said his compassion doesn’t condone the inmates’ actions, he focussed on helping them understand where they belong in God’s world.
Mr Llewellyn said he never felt like he belonged anywhere. He fully believes that’s what led him, and others, to rebel and turn away from their spirituality.
“I used to think God was a cruel being, as childish as that sounds,” Mr Llewellyn said. “But a lot of people have a childish belief where God is concerned.”
Inside the pages of If God Were An Apple Tree, readers will learn about Mr Llewellyn’s personal path to sobriety, and pick up some advice that may help them in their own recovery.
The book is available online at AwareNow.ca or at dougllewellyn.com
The book costs $19 including shipping and handling. It will also be sold in his brother’s (Peter Llewellyn) craft store Shoreline Design in Georgetown when it opens for the season.
“Right now my sister, Barb Clory in Georgetown, has copies too,” Mr Llewellyn said.
Mr Llewellyn said he has a second book in the works that will be even more in-depth about his journey to recovery.
It’s an ambitious undertaking for someone who wasn’t even sure he’d publish his first book.
It’s an ambitious undertaking for someone who wasn’t even sure he’d publish his first book.
“I wasn’t sure if it was good enough,” Mr Llewellyn said.
But the feedback on his book has been great so far.
“I got an email from one man who said it took all the tangles out of the webbing he had around spirituality ... that felt good to hear.”
Photos: Doug Llewellyn of Georgetown has recently published a book on his struggles with addiction. If God Were an Apple Tree is Llewellyn's first publication. Submitted photos
First appeared in The Eastern Graphic April 17, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment