Della (not her real name) was released from prison 6 months ago. One of the conditions of her parole was that she must enroll in the residence program at The Salvation Army’s R.J. Montgomery Center (RJMC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Again.
You see, this is Della’s third chance at a life of sobriety and freedom at The Salvation Army’s RJMC – a homeless shelter which offers case management, educational opportunities, a child care program and health clinic.
Experts used to say that it takes 21 days to create a new habit. More recently, a research team in London found that it takes at least 2 months – 66 days, actually – for a new behavior to become a habit and a lifestyle.
So, it’s no surprise to us that Della and many people like her need more than one chance – or perhaps more than two – and PLENTY of time to quit doing what doesn’t work and start doing what does until it sticks.
“I ended up speaking with case manager Robyn about the things I have done since my last ‘sign-out’ which included another trip to state prison…I was tired of being ‘in and out of the system,’ I was no longer drinking (my new D.O.C. ankle bracelet made sure of that), and actually wanted to get the most I could out of the RJMC program,” explains Della.
Read the full article here.
