Blue Zones

Hello 2025. I wanted to start off this year with how Nature helps. Have you ever heard of the “blue zones”? Did you know that humans that live in blue zones live longer than anywhere else?

What are blue zones?

Blue zones can be found all over the world including the United States. People who live in blue zones experience a longer life expectancy by eating healthier, managing stress easier, and using movement and nature as part of their daily routines. They have a sense of purpose or “ikigai”.

This leads me right to the question: Why wilderness therapy?

When Chris began using drugs and alcohol, our lives became unmanageable. It wasn’t just that Chris was using substances to alter his mind, his behavior changed. Chris, the sober Chris was the kindest wonderful person to be around. He was caring, kind, and helped others to the point of saying that he “would give the shirt off his own back”. The addict Chris, that was another story. The addict was mean, selfish, and would take anything another had to fill his need for whatever substance available. I don’t want to share Chris’s story because that is his, but from the family perspective, it was a painful, scary time in our lives. Removing him from our home was the only option.

When I began a search for recovery for him, he was a minor at this time. I took the time to research, to review and look at all the options. There were options for live-in recovery homes, halfway houses, schools, and other live-in facilities near and far. There were options for boat living, working farms, and many more. In this search, I also found wilderness programs. The option of being in the wilderness away from all technology, fast-food options, and outside influences to focus on himself sounded like a great direction. I did the research, spoke with programs, checked the internet (with so much information flying at us), and I prayed. Yes, faith played a big part in my life and trusting I would be given the right option for our minor child was first.

I was already immersed in Alanon (12 step program for families of alcoholics). I knew the program, but this was my child, and it was different. I looked back at myself and my own pain. What was best for him, not me? Then, I spoke with trusted others. Others who had lived this, who had walked the walk and realized I was not alone. Faith reminded me that I would know what to do and it would be safe for Chris.

I separated my child from the alcoholic; the addict part of him and took a leap of faith.

When Chris returned from that first wilderness treatment, he relapsed. This, I didn’t know at the time is common. Just like the 12-step programs, we don’t always get it the first time, but it’s been put in our brain that there’s a way out. It was not a one-and-done as we had hoped because if you know about substance use programs, they are expensive, and insurance companies are not all in. I soon realized that while it didn’t stick completely, Chris got it because he would make comments about what he learned in the wilderness or some new thought process he gained. It worked. No, it was not one-and-done but there was a glimmer of hope.

At this time, we decided to try other options. There were local outpatient therapies and in-patient substance-use rehabilitation centers we tried, while he was also involved in a 12-step program. He gained insight with these treatments but none of these had the impact that being out in nature had for Chris’s overall recovery.

Chris was soon returned by our condition to another wilderness program and then a three-quarter house and we hoped this time it would stick. I had to look into myself and remember that “mom knows best” was not the answer. My faith again came to the center of my attention, and I let go. Chris’s choices were his to make. He could work his life, or he could let the addict run his life. This was his choice. This was hard for a mom to accept. Afterall, this was my child. He returned from that wilderness and again, he relapsed.

My heart broken and our finances shattered, Chris had to choose his life. Chris this last time made the decision to once again return to the wilderness, his third time in a wilderness program. He found his home, his people. He found himself.

After his return this time, Chris began working with other alcoholics, addicts, he shared his experience, strength, and hope. Chris shared to make an impact in the recovery community. Chris was the person who once again was caring, kind, and “would give the shirt off his back”. His six years sober were gained from the wilderness programs he lived. His stories usually ended something like, “if you haven’t lived 8 days in the wilderness, you haven’t lived”.

Life went on for Chris and our family. He lived life, had a longtime girlfriend and close friends in recovery, he went on to graduate college, work in the wilderness, and then later work with children on the spectrum. Chris gave back and our family did too. Chris and I talked about building this foundation and how we would offer assistance and education to those who found themselves in a similar situation.

Our son, Chris, relapsed and overdosed (a drug was laced with fentanyl) January 16, 2023. While Chris did relapse after six sober years, I add that something was laced with fentanyl because in our world today an addict who doesn’t use fentanyl can be given what they think is “x” and die because it is laced. That is what happened with our son. Recovery is a life-long process, and unfortunately relapses are often part of the process. We did not expect him to relapse after six years - we found comfort in “it’s been long enough now”. But addiction as a disease takes away so many lives and relapses do often happen. Overdoses can happen whether a drug is laced or not, but in 2023, 70% of death by drug overdoses were due to fentanyl.

We can’t bring Chris back, but we can carry his message of hope. Wilderness works, nature helps, just check out the blue zones.