Remembering Why We Do What We Do (for Addiction Professionals)
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re in recovery.
Our industry is filled with wonderful people who have experienced addiction and have decided to use their experience in a positive way and help others attain sobriety as well. It is a noble career choice and one that goes without the credit it deserves.
Like any career, sometimes the day to day work can pull us away from the original reasons why we get involved with treatment in the first place. It happens to the best of us. On any given day, we have to monitor our census, have meetings with staff to ensure quality of care, build alumni programs, as well as stay up to date with compliance, billing and client care. It’s a lot of work.
At the end of the day, many people have personal experiences with addiction and it’s important that we remember our original guiding force and use it to build the best treatment programs with the most helpful resources possible.
Everyone has their own reasons, so I thought I would share some of mine.
Most Of Us Have Been There Before
Remember a time in your life when things weren’t going so well? What got you to where you are and what provided you with the catalyst to find recovery and get your life together?
At the end of the day, effective treatment is about people. Real people with emotions and families and dreams of their own. If you are a treatment provider, when you look back at your treatment process, I’m sure there were one or two people who had a heavy influence on you. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to pass that on to someone else? Wouldn’t it be a privilege to be someone’s inspiration to get sober?
Creating an environment where treatment has a positive impact on people’s lives is paramount. Let’s keep that close to heart.
Because The Addiction Crisis Is Still Here
We all see the numbers. The addiction crisis in our country is alarming. So many people of all different ages, races, backgrounds, creeds and colors are finding themselves in the deepest of the darkest places.
It is estimated that 20 million people need treatment, yet only a fraction people receive it.
If we are to truly come out of the addiction crisis, we are going to need to put our heads together and come up with some real solutions. These events provide us with a perfect opportunity to do that. This work has never been more important. The country is counting on us to come up with real world solutions that can help guide us through the next generation.
There will always be addiction in the world, that will probably never change. But we can all do our part to make sure that we beat the opioid epidemic and provide a better future for the generation to follow us.
Spreading Awareness and Resources
It wasn’t long ago that finding a rehab near you was a challenge. Addiction remains a taboo subject but awareness and support has become more commonplace. The reason why the general public has become more comfortable talking about addiction is largely due to professionals and advocates working tirelessly in the field.
It is important work we do. Treating addiction is challenging. Many times it is unforgiving and painful, yet we carry forward.
The work is the real root of why people get better. Awareness is spread one person at a time, through hard working people like you working and talking with other people. One person at a time, we can truly combat the misunderstandings about addiction so that people can get better.
Keep Fighting the Good Fight
On a personal level, working with other treatment professionals has been a highlight of my life.
I’m constantly surrounded with intelligent, kind and well-intentioned people. We know that helping people get what they want is one of the best ways for us to get what we want. We get to make our living by doing work that helps people. It’s truly a win win for everyone.
For those reading this, I encourage you to remind yourselves every now and then why it is that we do the work that we do. We should all be very grateful to have the opportunity to give back while simultaneously providing for ourselves and our families.
At the end of the day, we are all made up of the lives we have impacted. Let’s continue doing the work one day at at time.
Written by, Tim Stoddart