On this episode of ADJUSTED, we welcome a special guest, Dr. Alex Elswick, co-founder of Voices of Hope and University of Kentucky Professor in the Department of Family Sciences. Alex shares his story of addiction and his road to recovery.
Alex Elswick is a tireless advocate for people with substance use disorders. He currently serves the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Extension Professor for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. Alex’s knowledge and experience with addiction is multifaceted. His professional experience, non-profit work, and research agenda all focus on long-term recovery. But most importantly, Alex is himself a person in long-term recovery from the chronic disease of addiction.
Voices Of Hope
THE DANGEROUS STIGMA OF ADDICTION: While societal attitudes on addiction are changing, many still view addiction as having low moral character, or that the person addicted must have done something wrong. Many people who are suffering from addiction are not doing it to get high and party; they are doing it to experience relief. They may suffer from anxiety or mental illness, and this made them prone to drug addiction. You cannot shame or punish an addict out of addiction; they already feel the shame, and their addiction is extremely punishing. It is important to stop viewing them as “bad people,” and start viewing them as “people who are suffering.”
FAMILY AND FRIENDS HAVE TO CONNECT, BEFORE THEY CORRECT: It is heartbreaking watching a loved one succumb to addiction. Many times, the addict is reluctant to seek recovery. It is important to remember that when a person is addicted, their survival circuitry (the part of the brain that wants food, water, sleep, love, and basic needs) has been hijacked by drugs. The brain starts to view anyone who is trying to get them off the drugs as a threat to their survival. The first step is to show compassion, and protect your relationship with your loved one. The person who is addicted must have that connection with their loved one, in order for the family member to reach them. Yelling and criticizing them will not work. One the most effective training programs for families is CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training), which is an intervention specifically designed to help encourage the family member into treatment.
THE VICIOUS CYCLE OF RECOVERY, THEN RELAPSE: Addiction does not stop when a person leaves a treatment center. They may start to feel better, and make strides, and then they go back home and relapse. This cycle can repeat itself several times. They can have the most well- meaning, loving, supportive parents/family members, but the environment does not foster their recovery. Their family members feel they are walking on eggshells, and they are afraid of their loved one relapsing. The person recovering feels ashamed, stressed, and resentful. Sometimes they need to live on their own, or in different surroundings in order to flourish.
RECOVERY IS DIFFERENT FOR EVERYONE: The most widely held belief of recovery is abstinence from all substances. This can be challenging because some recovering addicts use medication, such as Suboxone or Methadone, to treat their addiction. Some recovering heroin addicts may drink alcohol without any issues, yet they are looked at as “cheating” because they are not purely abstinent. This can cause issues when they go to recovery meetings, because other recovering addicts look down on them, since they are not following the “traditional model” of recovery.
VOICES OF HOPE TAKES A DIFFERENT APPROACH: They seek to remove stigmas, and encourage an individual’s success. Voices of Hope recognizes that there are several pathways to recovery, and each person’s definition of recovery is different. They created a free recovery community organization that focuses on this. They are not a treatment center, and they do not have clinicians. All of their staff are people in recovery with lived experience from their own addictions. They have different meetings based on each person’s definition of recovery. One of the most important things that they do is Recovery Coaching, which asks the person “How can I help you with your recovery today? What is the barrier you are facing today? What are your needs?” The Recovery Coaches are familiar with the resources, and linkages so people can get quick access to what they need. They are considered a community hub for all things recovery. While each road to recovery may be different, the goal is the same: to help people be healthier, be happier, and be the best they can be.