After the successful Super Bowl party that we hosted with TPAS back in February, I got a chance to sit down with the TPAS committee to talk about the conference in September that we are all looking forward to. During what was supposed to be just a run-of-the-mill meeting, I couldn’t help but think just how much both my efforts and the efforts of TPAS to raise awareness about addiction and the importance of recovery are truly impacting people’s lives throughout the country.
A little background on TPAS for those who don’t know: This is a program that serves as a collaborative of alumni services from multiple different treatment programs. They constantly work to come together to share their theories on what works in recovery and what doesn’t, as well as what they are having the most success with. It’s all designed to improve upon aftercare and the treatment that is provided during those programs. TPAS and facilities such as Northbound that partner with them help those in recovery have a place to come to and connect with other members of related treatment programs. We are helping make those connections and those bonds each and every time we host an event or bring people together.
So, as we are sitting in our meeting, working on figuring out the blueprint for the conference in September, I realize just how much TPAS has grown in the past two years since it started. It went from having 11 different facilities involved at the start of the program to now an expected 60-80 facilities jumping on board by year’s end. This extreme growth just shows that what TPAS and facilities such as Northbound are doing to raise awareness is truly effective and gaining the attention of those who are truly striving to be solidified in their recovery.
TPAS is a group that wants to improve upon the industry, and that is something that both myself and other staff members at Northbound can relate to. During our meeting, we talked about how TPAS is going to handle its amazing growth, and there was just a refreshing feel of excitement in the room. Not only because it’s something we are all passionate about, but also because it’s becoming clear that people are positively responding to our efforts and we are elated to see such growth over the past few years. It’s such a great feeling even to be in a meeting with everyone involved, especially because it is so apparent that when all of our creative minds meet, great things happen!