Weathering the storm Lindquist, a lifelong Minnesotan from Blaine, started using meth in 1995. “I tried it once and was instantly hooked,” Lindquist says. Before hitting bottom in the Hennepin County Jail, Lindquist says he thought a lot about quitting. He says he even researched New Perspectives, but he always returned to drugs when life became difficult. “There was no problem getting high wouldn’t fix in that moment,” Lindquist says. At New Perspectives, Lindquist learned to get past that moment and to weather the storm. One week of treatment he particularly remembers was during Thanksgiving week. Group meetings were typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but with Thanksgiving on Thursday, the meeting schedule was changed to Monday through Wednesday. Lindquist remembers the leader of the group passionately asking clients to remain strong from Wednesday to Monday, and especially on Thanksgiving. “‘I don’t care what happens, just don’t pick up,’” Lindquist remembers the group leader saying. “That stuck with me. Just weather the storm and don’t pick up.” Another lesson Lindquist remembered was from a meeting where Woods told everyone to get things off their chests and that bottling things up was not healthy. “Here, you learn to deal with things head on. Don’t put it off, deal with it,” says Lindquist. “When you have a problem, talk about it. Find someone you trust in recovery and talk about it. You don’t leave group brooding about something.That is what group is for. Share it, group it.” Lindquist has built a trustworthy network of friends from the group meetings he attends.They call each other whenever they need a little support and go on ice fishing trips and enjoy events like watching the Super Bowl together. “Everything is permanent now,” says Lindquist. “I signed up for this program, I completed this program and I’ve had three years of being sober.” “I gained a ton of weight,” Lindquist adds with a laugh. “I have this program and Mr. Woods to thank. I got my life back.”
“Here, you learn to deal with things head on. Don’t put it off, deal with it.” -Marty Lindquist, New Perspectives former client
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