Addiction: Reducing stigma and promoting recovery
Highland Rivers Health and our agency’s community recovery center, Mosaic Place, were proud to be sponsors of 2020 Addiction Recovery Awareness Day last month at the state Capitol.
Organized by the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, the event celebrates individuals with addictive disease who are living in recovery.
Among the more than 1,000 people attending this year were Gov. Brian Kemp, Attorney General Chris Carr and Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Judy Fitzgerald, all of whom addressed those in attendance.
Of course, while it is wonderful to have such high-profile state officials acknowledge the importance of addiction recovery, many of the day’s most compelling moments came from individuals living in recovery.
That included Highland Rivers’ own Nikki Kemp (no relation to the governor), Mosaic Place program manager. I want to share some of what she told those in attendance:
“I live in recovery, which for me means it’s been seven years since I’ve used any mind-altering substances. I started using marijuana when I was 12 and meth when I was 14. I had a child who had been taken away and was pregnant with a second — I knew the only way I could get my child back and be a mother was to get sober. I found recovery through Highland Rivers’ Women’s Outreach program. Today I am married to my children’s father — we are both in recovery. I have both my kids, I’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in addiction counseling and, last year, became a National Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist. Recovery is real!”
Nikki is a testament to the power of recovery and Highland Rivers is extremely proud to have her as part of our team. But as anyone living in recovery can attest, as much as recovery is powerful, so too is addiction – and it is the power of addiction, and the stigma, that can make recovery elusive for many.
Fortunately, over the past few decades we have learned a tremendous amount about addiction.
First — and understanding this is critical — addiction is a disease. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense drug craving and compulsive drug seeking and affects multiple circuits of the brain. It is not a moral failure or character flaw or weakness, it is a disease.
Like many diseases, genetics plays a role in addiction.
In fact, the Center for Addiction at Columbia University estimates that genetic risk factors account for about half the likelihood an individual will develop addiction.
In addition, although the initial decision to use substances reflects a person’s conscious choice, once the brain has been changed by addiction, that choice or willpower becomes impaired. Perhaps the most defining symptom of addiction is a loss of control over substance use.
Obviously abstinence — not using drugs or alcohol — is critical. But there is often much more an individual with addiction might need to achieve full recovery, such as safe and affordable housing, a job, treatment for co-occurring mental illness, and ongoing support, to name a few.
Highland Rivers’ substance use programs provide an array of services to help treat individuals with addiction — services including acute detox, intensive outpatient behavioral therapy, residential treatment, medication, supportive housing and employment, home visits, and much more — to help them achieve and maintain a life in recovery.
Of course, none of these services provides a magic bullet or “cure.” They are components of ongoing disease management and wellness (much like someone with diabetes or heart disease might change their behaviors and receive ongoing support to ensure they are living as healthy a life as they can).
Finally, one of the most important things we can offer to individuals with addiction — and anyone can offer this — is compassion. Let’s remember, no one chooses addiction. It is a disease, after all. But many people with this disease choose recovery. Let’s support that choice and celebrate it.
To learn more about Highland Rivers’ substance use treatment services, visit HighlandRiversHealth.com/addictionand-substance-abuse-services/.
Melanie Dallas is a licensed professional counselor and CEO of Highland Rivers Health, which provides treatment and recovery services for individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 12-county region of Northwest Georgia.