Spotlight on Marie Kilcrease

Asana Recovery Alumni Newsletter, April 28, 2023

Marie Kilcrease makes a new friend while reconnecting with old friends at at the Asana Recovery Alumni Gathering at OK Aquarium.

At the Oklahoma Aquarium last week, Marie Kilcrease had a unique experience: sharing her recovery with her fellow alumni - other graduates from the Asana Recovery program - and a wise-faced sea turtle!

Marie - who enrolled in treatment in Fountain Valley, California, in December of 2022 - likely has many new experiences ahead. She will face new challenges as she learns to handle situations without substances. And, she also has newfound goals, made possible by her work on herself and her recovery.

“I’m looking forward to being free from addiction and living life in a clear, positive, spiritual state of being,” Marie says.

Life After Rehab: New Goals and New Challenges

Marie’s first goal for her life after treatment is to connect more with her children and be more involved in their lives.

“I want to take better care of myself,” Marie says. “To enjoy everything that I am able to. And help anyone I can.”

In the midst of her personal and relationship goals, Marie also has career goals. “I'm looking for a job opportunity that will be fulfilling,” she says. 

On the horizon, Marie has surgery coming up. It’s a stressful prospect for most people, so she’s planning ahead. “I will try and keep my mind busy,” she says. “I may be limited on doing some physical things, but there are still things I can do. I have been re-teaching myself piano.”

Skills for Recovery

Many of the things Marie is doing to support her sober life are skills she learned during her program at Asana Recovery. “The most valuable thing I've learned is to ask for help,” she says, including help from a therapist. She also relies on coping skills she learned in treatment, as well as meditation.

Marie continues to broaden her spiritual life by going to church and using prayer. “I seek out new things to do,” she says. “And, who knows? Maybe I will be able to touch other people in the future!” 

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Want to be featured in our newsletter spotlight?

Every month, we’ll be featuring an interview with a different Asana Recovery alum. We hope you can learn from their experiences, be inspired by their recovery and keep updated on your fellow alumni.

If you missed March’s spotlight, you can still read it! Becoming the Mother That Will Make Her Kids Proud: Alumni Spotlight on Amanda Boring.

If you’d like to be featured in an Alum Spotlight, please contact your admissions counselor. If you don’t have their contact info, check the list below:

Kimberly Brave: 405-999-0550

Jim Bell: 405-833-4838

Lyndsay Gasser: 949-922-0180

Krystal Smith: 949-244-6822

Next Alumni Gathering

Asana Recovery hosts a monthly gathering for alumni in Oklahoma. It’s important to stay connected to our recovery network and have fun! On the second Saturday of each month, alumni have the chance to get together for a recovery meeting and/or a social activity in either Oklahoma City or Tulsa. Last month’s gathering, at the OK Aquarium, was fun and fascinating!

Mark your calendars! Saturday, May 13! Details to come.