Addiction comes in many different shapes and sizes. 

People are different.

Addicts are different.

Many of us are the typical ego-centric maniac with an inferiority complex.  This is the one I fit in.  Others are shy or anxiety filled individuals.  Some suffer from PTSD or some other form of serious abuse or trauma. Others just got lost somewhere along the way or ended up hanging with the wrong crowd. Many athletes or everyday people that get injured are prescribed pain medications, and simply never get off them – or worse, they move on to something stronger like heroin. 

Why should there be one way for treating all? 

There should be multiple approaches and facets of treating addiction according to the individual.  Addiction treatment definitely must be tailored to the individual suffering from the disease. I use the term addict often, and I hear it is not politically correct in the field, but one:  I am not 100% textbook, and two: I love and have compassion for those suffering from addiction. 

Also, I call a spade a spade and if we are completely dependent upon a substance; food, sex, gambling, cell phones, etc. to the point where it is ruining our lives and relationships with others, then we are addicted. 

Good news though, there are healthy addictions.  I use the term addict in an endearing way. I am an addict, addicted to fitness, hockey, football, fishing, hunting, my family, and bettering myself.  But, trust me, it hasn’t always been this way.  By the way, many people are addicts but without the stigma attached.  Work addiction is praised in most places.  Alcohol abuse is often overlooked.  Media usage in general is completely out of control.  We won’t talk about video games.  So again, there are many designs and dimensions when dealing with addiction.

How did I get here?

I first began using drugs at eight years old unless we are including nicotine then it would be six years old.  Many want to talk about marijuana being the gateway drug but if you think about it, tobacco and alcohol would prevail.  With Alcohol and Tobacco, we are knowingly harming our bodies.  This sets up the mentality that we are invincible, and harmful substances do not actually harm us. 

After tobacco and marijuana I moved on to pills, ecstasy, mushrooms, and whatever came along.  Throughout my addiction I always maintained the addict “principle” or moral of never using a needle.  But by seventeen years old, I became an intravenous user of crystal meth, cocaine, oxycontin, and heroin.  

In 2005, I along with everyone else I know from my hometown lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.  This gave me the perfect excuse to exacerbate my drug use.  Throughout my 16 year addiction there were many downs, no ups.  I lied to myself often and had myself convinced that there was something appealing about the lifestyle I was leading. 

I thought I had a lot of friends, but no longer hear from any of those people anymore, and that is a good thing. 

Avoiding those people places and things are part of my program now.  I finally found sobriety after my last jail stint and thank God every day for finally opening my eyes.  That was almost nine years ago.  After going through hell and coming out of the other side, then going to school to be an Addiction Worker, I can honestly tell you I have the tools and it is my duty to pass these tools on to you. 

For decades now, we have been spoon fed through treatment centers, judges, psychiatrists, addiction counselors, social workers, etc. that AA/NA and all of the other meetings are the only solution and are, in fact, mandatory to achieve sobriety.  Get a sponsor, go to ninety meetings in ninety days, and then go to meetings for the rest of your life.  There is very much a sense of, “this is the only way that works, anyone else isn’t really sober” kind of attitude.  That is quite a load to a lot of addicts in early recovery.  I know it was for me, as well as many others I have spoken with. 

Let me make this clear, I am not opposed to NA/AA/CMA/CA or any of these groups.  I am quick to promote them to clients quite often.  I was actually a member of them and have them to thank for a large part of my early recovery.  I believe these organizations are great and provide amazing services to a lot of people in recovery.  But, the most important thing I got from AA and CA (which are both based off of the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous), is the twelve steps.  The twelve steps and my completion of them in their entirety are what lead me to have my spiritual awakening or revelation, which led me closer to God.  I do believe the 12 steps are a must but I am not convinced that forcing people to go to a meeting for the rest of their life is for everyone, and can be quite overwhelming.   Like I said before, there are many facets amongst people and with addiction itself… and the “one cure fits all” approach just doesn’t seem logical to me.

Always remember, the bottom has a trap door!

Those suffering must first be ready.  If they are not ready and willing to drastically change their lives, habits, routines, and so called “friends” in exchange for sobriety, then there is nothing that can be done for that individual.  It’s sad, but it is true.  Even more sad, is that a lot of these people are ready, and they are sick and tired of their lifestyle and do not even know it.  So, there is HOPE!  They do not know that life is worth living sober.  Some need to hit multiple bottoms (by the way, I believe there is no such thing as the “lowest or deepest part of anything, as distinguished from the top”, or bottom as we know it.  I believe the bottom for addicts is either, death, long-term incarceration, or loss of mind or bodily functions).  How many addicts died from overdose today?  Think of the other bottoms I just mentioned.  We are losing too many beautiful, creative minds to this terrible disease and a slightly different approach might be just what we need. 

You’ve read this far, now what?

First, I need to meet with my people (those suffering) in person or via Skype and learn about them and what got them to where they are today.  If they make their way to me, this tells me something inside of them is telling them that they are ready.  I take that little sign, no matter what their temperament is, as a signal of the positive direction they are already headed in.   

You see, when we are in our disease, we are spiritually sick and do a lot of awful things that we kick ourselves for over and over again.  This constant self-shaming only causes the vicious cycle to intensify with each revolution.  So, no matter their disposition, if someone is asking for help then there is optimism – a glimmer of hope, if you will.

Speaking of hope, I believe there is no such thing as a hopeless case.  If that were the case, I was considered hopeless by myself and others and technically should not be here today.  But, I am for a reason and that reason is to help you to help yourself.  This is what I was born to do.  This is my passion and what drives me every single day.  I am equipped with a plethora of tools that can benefit the many different types of people and situations that exist within addiction.  I survived hell and with the help of God, myself, and others, I got out alive and am stronger than ever from that damnation I dragged myself through.  And, you can do this too. 

Your life is at stake, and make no mistake, this disease wants you dead.  I’m not going into all of the clichés in this course, so if you hear me use one, then it is a damn good one.  Basically, I am going to do my very best to give you (and teach you to use) the tools that helped me to get where I am today.

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