Why make your bed? You’re just going to mess it up again tonight. What’s the point? A question that we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another, and the truth is, it’s more important than it may seem. Besides the sense of accomplishment you get so early in the morning, it sends a message–You deserve to sleep in a well made bed because you matter. That’s why when I called resident Finn G. to do an interview for this spotlight and he told me to please hold as he just needed to finish making his bed, I smiled because I knew that this was a different Finn than the one that walked into Beit T’Shuvah almost 9 months ago.
Finn is a Los Angeles native who grew up hanging out in the skate parks of Venice. He was always getting into trouble as a young adolescent in the neighborhood. His days consisted of riding his bike and skateboarding in between smoking weed and tagging (graffiti). He first tried hard drugs at the young age of 16, getting into cocaine and Xanax which he soon started selling to classmates. He got arrested for graffiti and eventually was kicked out of school for selling Xanax. He transferred to a different school but his problems didn’t end there and he again got arrested for graffiti and ended up in LA county jail.
He started seeing a therapist that specializes in troubled adolescents named Doug Rosen, who also happens to work at Beit T’Shuvah. When Finn was 18 he checked in to BTS but wasn’t convinced he had a problem and drank most of the time he was there. After leaving, he started using crystal meth and soon found himself shooting up every day. At this point he was living in a section 8 apartment which he describes as having turned into a complete crack den. Every day he was using heroin, crack and meth and his life started to fall apart. He started losing friendships, girlfriends, and jobs. He fell into debt and being completely broke was forced to steal food every day just so he could eat.
At 22 years old he had had enough and again checked into Beit T’Shuvah. He arrived with a newfound resolve realizing this couldn’t continue, but the biggest turning point for him was in learning about helping others. Previously he had no idea what it felt like to do a good deed. Feeling grateful about having another opportunity to go through the program he started getting involved in the community, and this community is about giving back and helping each other out. He began cleaning therapy pods, sweeping the smoking patios, washing pots and pans, and helping out wherever he could. It quickly brought him a sense of purpose and meaning and he began feeling a part of something bigger than himself.
When an opportunity presented itself to become a PF (program facilitator) intern in the clinical department, he jumped on it knowing that he would be able to help even more people and felt that this opportunity would allow his best self to come out. He started his internship two months ago and never thought he’d be doing something like this or that he’d feel this good about sobriety.
Finn will have nine months sober on the 17th and has found that in sobriety he is more fascinated by what life has to offer. That being sober is more than just being abstinent from drugs and alcohol but about giving you the tools you need in life. To not have resentments and to admit when you’re wrong.
Finn is currently pursuing his GED and plans to enroll at West LA College to get a certificate as a lighting technician in the film industry. Tonight he’ll be able to lay his head down knowing that today he was able to help someone, that his life has purpose, and do so in his freshly made bed.