The clients at Back2Basics alcohol and drug treatment center take a five week kayaking class at Northern Arizona University from expert boater.
Back2Basics Sober Living staff and clients have spent weeks training and preparing for a NAU Outdoors-led kayaking cruise down the San Juan River.
NAU Outdoor River Program Coordinator Chad Stone taught the five week class that Back2Basics staff and clients were required to take for the trip. Usually Back2Basics Outdoor Adventure staff prepares and manages field trips with clients. Due to Stone’s seven years of river course experience, he will be leading the upcoming trip to the San Juan River.
Stone recognizes the benefits of combining exercise with recovery. “I’m a firm believer that allowing people to challenge themselves physically and mentally can only create positive outcomes,” said Stone. “The challenges of dependency can be overcome by finding other positive outlets like kayaking and other outdoor –related hobbies.”
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Explore What We Can Do →The required, five week training course covers the fundamentals of kayaking through an ACA style course that is set up at the Northern Arizona University pool facility. Back2Basics staff and clients learned to “self-rescue,” which includes wet exiting, bracing and rolling, and teaches how to perform assisted rescues known as “T Rescue.”
“[The ACA style course] allows [clients] to learn at a safe and comfortable pace, and learn the importance of working together as a team to keep the group safe,” said Stone.
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Get in Touch →All the clients learn at a different pace, but the sense of accomplishment is apparent across the board mentions Back2Basics Outdoor Adventure Director Chase Christensen. “Seeing the look on the face of our clients when they ‘roll’ – flipping yourself from being under water to an upright position – for the first time is always worth it,” said Christensen.