Addiction & Recovery

A Crisis and a Counselor

“Drugs are merely the most obvious forms of addiction in our society. Drug addiction is one of the things that undermines traditional values.”

Quote Inspired by Christopher Lasch

Addiction to alcohol and drugs has become a part of the world’s culture. Addiction to alcohol or drugs has become a frequent notice of importance whether it is because of a new drug trend, recent celebrity death, or other noticeable events. Sitcoms incorporate it into their story lines, television series like Intervention are commonly known and there are reality shows like Celebrity Rehab that capture famous people bathe their addiction. Documentaries about drugs can be found on major television networks and streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

Many of us are familiar with celebrities who have struggled with addiction to the point of death. Jimi Hendrix (barbiturate intoxication), John Belushi (cocaine and heroin), Chris Farley (cocaine and morphine), Amy Winehouse (alcohol), Philip Seymour Hoffman (heroin), and Prince (fentanyl) are a few notable examples. Today, we often hear about well-known celebrities with addictions ranging from alcohol to prescription opiates to cocaine to heroin.

Celebrities are not the only ones who have been affected by this disease. Millions of people throughout the world have been impacted by the use of alcohol and drugs in numerous ways. If you mentioned the word “addiction” to someone and they did not know what it meant you would probably think they were not from this planet.

The use of alcohol and drugs for a variety of reasons has been around for thousands of years. The impact of alcohol and drugs, attempts to control and regulate them, and the possibility of addiction is not a new concept or discovery. History and ancient literature is filled with references to alcohol, mushrooms, marijuana, and opium poppies.

While drug trends continue to change and take shape over time the idea of addiction is not anything new. However, the face of addiction has changed. The idea of an alcoholic being an old homeless man in the street with a paper bag around a bottle of liquor is no longer the standard. The image of a “junkie” being a poor person sticking a needle of heroin in their arm is not the full picture.

“I used to think a drug addict was someone who lived on the far edges of society. Wild-eyed, shaven-headed and living in a filthy squat. That was until I became one.”

Quote Inspired by Cathryn Hemp

An article featured in TODAY Health & Wellness Today entitled, “Hooked: A teacher’s addiction and the new face of heroin” shared the story of a teacher and mother who was living a double life as a heroin addict.1 On October 24, 2016, John Oliver said on Last Week Tonight, “Unfortunately, America is now in the midst of a new drug crisis, and it seems that no one is safe from it.”2

The idea of addiction being so widespread and affecting so many people appears scary. Some people like the idea of continuing to believe it doesn’t affect them or it’s not as big of a problem compared to others we face as a society. Countless times I’ve heard citizens say “we don’t have that kind of problem (drugs or alcohol) in our community” or a parent say “there’s no way my child could have an addiction.” While there are a variety of issues going on in this world addiction has become one of the major focuses of nations, states, organizations, communities, families, and individuals. The need for education, prevention, and treatment is at an all-time high.

Plenty of people have been dedicating their time, effort, energy, and resources to helping those who suffer from addiction. Professionally, I have spent over a decade working with individuals whose lives have been impacted by the use of alcohol and drugs. I am a Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Clinical Supervisor – in Training (CS-IT) for the state of Wisconsin. Over the years I have worked with individuals who use alcohol and drugs to the point where it has led them to receiving counseling services.

Working with addiction teaches you an incredible amount of information and insight. The purpose of this book is to give some of that knowledge to those who desperately need it in hopes they will turn the information into wisdom to healing, change, and growth.

“Are You in Recovery?”

The polite way of asking whether or not I have an addiction is to ask, “Are you in recovery?” Clients, co-workers, possible employers, other professionals, and family members often ask that question when they discover your profession is counseling people with an alcohol or drug addiction. The grassroots history of addiction counseling began with individuals who were able to overcome their addiction wanted to help others by bringing in the “talk the talk, walk the walk” experience.

When I started in my career it was almost an unwritten rule about needing to have an alcohol or drug addiction in order to help others. For me, it wasn’t an addiction that bridged the gap between becoming a counselor for this specific population. I faced my fair share of doubters and misbelievers about my ability to counsel people with an addiction without having one myself.

What led me to working in the field of alcohol and drug addiction? At the age of twelve I was diagnosed with type one diabetes, a chronic illness that requires daily maintenance in order to live. The body does not produce insulin naturally and therefore requires testing blood sugars and injecting insulin multiple times throughout the day.

I struggled with my disease throughout the early years of the diagnosis into high school. At one point my health was at such a decline to where a doctor said, “You are going to end up dead.” This course of events led to a path of seeing a counselor. Meeting with a counselor became an intervention at a time that was desperately needed and opened my eyes to seeing things dramatically different. The success of counseling not only changed how I saw the meaning of my life, but also set in motion the desire and dream of becoming a counselor one day so I could in turn help others.

The idea of wanting to help others by becoming a counselor became a growing interest. I researched local colleges hoping a program in counseling could be a possibility. During the research I came across an Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse (AODA) Counseling program available at Waukesha County Technical College (WCTC).

I knew nothing about addiction. There was no addiction in my family history and no friends who I considered to have an addiction. There were a few peers who experimented with alcohol and marijuana and fellow students who were rumored to use “other” drugs. For the most part addiction was a mystery. In conducting some initial research on the program there was a viewpoint on addiction gaining steam in the field: that addiction was being seen as a disease very similar to that of heart disease and diabetes.

Now, the idea of addiction being a disease was not entirely new. Some people have held this view for a very long time; however the use of technology, science, and research was gaining interest in viewing addiction as a disease as opposed to a sin or moral failure.

Honestly, there was some initial resentment and frustration over the idea of addiction being compared to diabetes. I take insulin in order to avoid getting high (blood sugars) while people with an addiction used drugs in order to get high (feel pleasure, avoid pain, etc.).

When I was seventeen-years-old I was with a group of friends attending a baseball game. At the time I was making significant progress in taking care of my own health. It was not perfect, but I was progressing at being more responsible. On this occasion I decided to take my diabetes management kit (insulin, syringes, blood meter, etc.) with me.

I went back to the car and tested my blood. We were about to eat and I measured out the amount of insulin I needed. As I was about to inject the insulin through a syringe an old couple walked past the car. As they approached the car the elderly man looked in my direction and said “fucking drug user” and continued walking.

There was a lot of frustration, shame, and sadness. The person who was with me noticed the discomfort and attempted to cheer me up. I told them to go ahead back to the group and I just need a minute to myself and would finish what I was doing. As soon as the person walked away I stopped what I was doing. I didn’t want to be associated with drug users because I was nothing like them. I put all the supplies back in the kit and walked back to my friends. I didn’t talk about what happened and lied about taking my insulin. A small resentment towards drug users started to grow.

Before making the decision to embark on the possible journey of becoming an AODA counselor I remembered that story and played it over in my head. This happened years ago, and yet I could still feel the resentment. I did not know if I could overcome it and be willing to accept addiction as a disease similar to what I faced with diabetes.

A part of me wanted to see what I would discover if I decided to explore this area further and discover if I could relate to what individuals with an addiction feel like when trying to stay sober or embark on their own journey in recovery....