Treating Addiction: An Introduction To The Series

5 min readDec 6, 2021

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As the world prepares to accept that facing variants of Covid19 is simply the way things are going to be from now on, I decided to write a bit about the disease I understand the most which has also been mutating into variants since the beginning.

I’ve worked up close and personal in the treatment of addiction for over a decade now and it has significantly impacted multiple aspects of my life. Significantly in more positive than negative ways. I truly love what I do so much that it seldom feels like work. I can genuinely say that I look forward to speaking to clients or their families every single day.

Over the years I have worked with thousands of clients from every demographic you can imagine. The disease itself doesn’t quite care much about any specific backstory once it digs in. Regardless of social, economic, cultural, or upbringing, the damage addiction causes proves very relatable. Those surface-level distractions just tend to get in the way causing the journey to recovery to be more difficult. The sooner one begins relating more often than comparing the easier things get. Now, when I use the term “easy”, which may have those still struggling or now living a life in recovery cringing. Let me clarify that though I do find the work required to obtain long-term recovery to be simple, I am not inferring that it won’t be one of the hardest things to do. I have always looked at my job as paving the road to recovery to make it as easy as possible knowing it’s inherently an uphill climb on ice amid a hail storm. Fear not, it’s entirely possible, and it’s extremely worth it.

Treating Addiction Through the Years

Few things surprise me anymore. I have been both blessed and cursed by being on the front line of helping people battle addiction. A disease that doesn’t just want to kill, it wants to take people to a place where they no longer recognize themselves, and eventually wish they were dead. I actually entered the field by accident with no idea if I would enjoy it or even be good at it. Not happy with the vocational path that I was on, I figured since I had a bachelor’s degree in psychology, I may as well give helping others a shot. So, I asked for a favor and low and behold I was an addiction counselor. Yes, I was ushered into the field by who I knew much more than what I was. I will always be grateful for that opportunity, one that I do not believe I‘ve wasted or taken for granted.

Hoping not to seem overconfident, my “successes” over a decade far outweigh my “failures”. To clarify, I measure success by helping clients achieve long-term continued sobriety by working a program of recovery and enjoying life. Others I know measure success by clients completing a short stay in a treatment facility. The latter is typically a check box used to appease internal compliance, regulatory bodies and insurance companies. Given proper external motivation, completing a treatment stay is not all that difficult. I know many that attended treatment for a month or so, did wonderfully, and still used as soon as they left.

A gentleman I knew did so well in fact that after he completed treatment, he went to court to face legal consequences. The court was so impressed with his progress, they dropped all charges. Spending a month preparing for whatever legal consequences he would face and then discovering none, he overdosed a week later. In removing that pressure and fear, his motivation to comply for the sake of sobriety alone disappeared, if it was ever truly there at all. Sadly, I believe it was, just not enough when he was alone and vulnerable. The drugs out there these days simply don’t play fair and are extremely selective on granting second chances.

So Why Listen To Me

I do not suffer from the disease of addiction and I am not in recovery from drug or alcohol use. I am, however, what is called a “recovering family member” which means those I am closest to did at one-time struggle with the disease and if not properly managed, could do so again within the blink of an eye. It was humbling the day it dawned on me, that I surround myself with the disease of addiction in some fashion twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

So, what sets me apart, why do I feel I am exceptional at what I do, how do I do it, and why am I writing a series on Treating Addiction? This was in the beginning a very difficult question to answer because for a long time I had no idea and in fact, I was so involved in doing the work that the why or how didn’t matter all that much. People I worked with were simply getting better which was enough for me.

Now, in a state of self-reflection, I believe the why is pretty simple. My father was a board-certified psychiatrist, his knack was understanding human behavior and reading people almost instantly. He instilled that ability in me my entire life without my even knowing it.

Another secret is that I have since the very beginning treated clients as humans in need of help not addicts. Accepting the existence of the disease is essential, but it doesn’t define who someone is. So, the characteristics that make me effective in this field seemingly are understanding human behavior, being an exceptionally active listener, being extremely observant, being honest, reality-based, sincere, compassionate, and having a sound knowledge and understanding of the disease including its near ridiculous predictability.

I stated earlier that I’ve enjoyed more successes than failures in helping people navigate this disease into recovery. The truth is, I don’t look at it that way. My father once warned me that if I am going to be in the field of human services, I am going to lose people along the way. Given the cruel nature of addiction, I have. I forced myself long ago to accept that in the end, I am merely a man pointing others in a direction hoping they trust me enough to listen. I am no more capable of changing others or making anyone do anything than anyone else. So, I’ve never taken credit for the success of my clients lest risk feeling blame for those that have not. My clients do the work and if anything, I serve as a well-positioned signpost.