The Tangled Path to Recovery

Bijou writes...

We hear from our community that one of the greatest challenges in recovery and sobriety lies in interrupting the powerful cycle of addictive thought patterns and urges. The Zentangle Method offers an effective and gentle tool in this journey. The nature of the method creates a natural pause... a moment in which the brain is redirected away from craving and toward calm, focused creativity. The practice of putting pen to paper grounds the tangler in the present moment and offers a healthy, accessible outlet for restless or anxious energy. And what makes the Zentangle Method particularly meaningful in recovery is its simplicity. It requires no prior artistic feats and no special supplies. Just pen, paper, and the willingness to begin.

For those navigating the road to sobriety, Zentangle can become more than a creative practice - it can become a lifeline, a quiet ritual of self-regulation and self-discovery that supports healing... one stroke at a time. Today, we share a collection of stories from our community members who have walked the tangled path to recovery. We will let their words speak for themselves -

Nancy Jean writes...

Hi! I'm Nancy Jean of Lemont, IL (Chicago suburb) and I have been tangling since 2006. It might even be longer than that!

Project Pack 29 was the first Project Pack that I purchased and I took to it like bees on a peony bush.

I have to preface to say that I lost my husband one year ago in March and soon after that I began my sobriety journey. Had it not been for Zentangle, I would not have handled Randy's passing as well as I did and my sobriety would have been short lived. I'm proud to say that I am totally without alcohol and this is the first year in many that I have managed to stay out of the hospital. My health is awesome and my mental outlook is better than ever. My doctor is so very happy with my progress.

CZT Russell McDonald writes...

I usually introduce myself as “Hello, my name is Russell and I am an alcoholic.” As I write this, May 4, 2022, it has been exactly 1000 days since my last drink. With the struggle of addiction, I’ve learned to identify that I have struggles with other aspects of Me and my life, like mental health disorders. This brings my introduction full circle to why Julie asked me to share, as I was introduced to Zentangle in a Mental Health outpatient program early in my recovery.

My first lesson was with Jody Genovese CZT on October 10th 2019, and I immediately attached onto the Zentangle Method as a way to help me with so many aspects of my life. For example, I am finally “doing” this typing after receiving the request in March… the anxiety of doing an “assignment” has facilitated my ability to procrastinate, hence the last-minute completion of this article. How did I deal with some of that anxiety that I was struggling with, you may ask…? Why, with tangling!

So, the story continues…

Through the guidance and support of Jody, I was encouraged to consider becoming a Certified Zentangle Teacher. For the first six months or so of my Recovery, Thursday morning Zentangle group was THE highlight of my week. And if anyone is looking at the dates in my story, some of you can guess what happened next… the pandemic!

That’s right, good ole’ Covid Pandemic. As the outpatient clinic is a medical facility associated with a large hospital association, restrictions were put in place and precautions were taken to protect all involved; the clients, the facility workers, and the volunteers. Well, one of those restrictions was that volunteers were not allowed into the facility. This drastically affected me, and other clients of the facility also, as our beloved Zentangle teacher freely volunteered her time to bring this amazing method to create art to us.

In the beginning of the pandemic I got a taste of what it was like to lead a class. I was gaining confidence in myself and my abilities, and I “substitute” taught that Thursday morning group for a little while… on a white board nonetheless. Just before Jody’s final lesson at the clinic I had received news that I had received some financial assistance with attending the next Zentangle Certification class, boy was I excited!!! I am so grateful for that assistance, and they know who they are, because it was the next HUGE step, in a series of many, that brought me to where I am today.

Well, once again, we all know what happened… The world shut down! Long story short, I’ve still yet to get to Rhode Island to meet everyone in the CZT family in person, but I attended CZT 36 in Fall of 2020, the first virtual certification conference in Zentangle history, let alone the first one in a year at that point in the pandemic, I believe…. Anyways. What a wonderful experience!

During all this time, I had also been working on other aspects of my recovery, including MBSR training aka meditation certification with UMass medical – coincidence that during my CZT training we first heard about Zentangle inc. possibly working with them. Along with that I was working towards becoming a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate, which would give me the opportunity to work with others in recovery. So, having achieved these certificates, I have somewhat combined them to help others in recovery using the Zentangle Method, as I have, to enrich their lives.

Which brings us to today. Day 1000 of not having a drink, and day 937 of my Zentangle journey (I used an app to figure that out!). Not too long after becoming a CZT, I was having a conversation with Jody. During this conversation she basically blessed me with the opportunity, if it ever arose, to take over the class that she was doing at the Mental Health Clinic. Well, after jumping through all the hoops to become an official hospital volunteer and pandemic restrictions being lifted, that opportunity arose!

On April 5th 2022, after just over two years, it was my honor to bring Zentangle back to that Mental Health Clinic! Full Circle! Giving back what was so freely given to me, thank you Jody, and everyone at the Zentangle, Inc team, has been a crucial part of my recovery.

Along with those experiences over the last two years came the opportunity for me to be involved in a local community center. The hows and what nots of this involvement is circumstantially not super important, what is, is that around Thanksgiving of 2021 I was given the keys to my own space in said community center! This space has become the Bijou Art Room, aka my studio/office. This space has afforded me the opportunity to teach a Monday night class and bring Zentangle to others in the community!

CZT Joni Freed writes...

Our tiles start with gratitude and appreciation. It is the first step in our method, and that is how I want to start this entry here. I’m grateful you’re reading this, and I appreciate the time you’re taking out of your day to be here.

The journey I’ve taken with the Zentangle Method may be familiar to many people. I found it by happenstance - tucked away in a book on a library shelf, and I only took it half seriously. At first. This was a little less than four years ago, and is the reason you’re reading this today. I still don’t know how to say this without sounding like a crazed fanboy, or annoyingly hyperbolic - but not only has the Method enriched my life, I believe it may have saved it. At a minimum, it has made it more meaningful; more connected, and undoubtedly more beautiful.

That day at the public library, I was looking for books on sketching. I’d been drawing animals a lot - an orangutan, an otter, a bear. There they were boring, cartoony subjects with no flair. No backgrounds, no patterns, and a little lifeless. I saw a Zentangle book, flipped through it, and it felt right. It felt like some kind of artistic answer to a question I didn’t know I had.

I was drawing again after a long, dry spell. In some way, it was drawing for the sake of survival. Drawing to stem off a streak of self-destructiveness that nearly killed me. It was 2022, and I’d just been granted a new life. In August of that year, I walked out of a treatment facility, and was clean and sober for the first time in well over a decade. Every addict or alcoholic has both personal reasons they use, but also some common ones. What I share with a lot of people is an unhealthy, unsustainable way of coping with life. This drug use consumed me - it took away a career, relationships, and almost the roof over my head. Although I worked in the Arts, it also stole my creativity; and like a thief in the night - my inspiration and hope as well.

Fast forward to that chance encounter with the book: I started incorporating a pattern here and there. Then I would just draw patterns, without the subjects. The journey was organic - but I was hungry and kept on wanting more. I found one CZT, who retired, and then another*, who I continue to study with. Patterns kept me company on lonely nights; tiles became markers and milestones, and the accomplishments started multiplying. As my head cleared and my technique became more refined, I began to think about teaching. About sharing this method with other folks in recovery. I see it as a tool in my recovery toolbox. And when we’re talking about defeating a foe that kills indiscriminately, without regard to who you are, and what your status is, we need all the tools at our disposal.

I consider Recovery a journey of discovery. Discovering what helps, and what doesn’t. Learning our limits, challenging our beliefs, and remaining humble - recognizing our humanity, and admitting we’re fallible.

Thank you to Nancy, Russell, and Joni for sharing your stories! Your vulnerability and strength is admirable and we are honored to be a part of your journeys.