Lionrock Recovery Scholarship

For so many, avoidance was a key part of recovery. We kept busy, we picked up new hobbies, we became social, and we surrounded ourselves with people and tasks so we wouldn’t even have the time to relapse. There were meetings 15 minutes away, a support system not too far out of reach. Then, everything shut down. The pandemic changed how we approach substance abuse treatment, but maybe not for the worse. Being stuck inside opened a new world for online therapy, removing the "shame" of seeking in-person help. From your phone, you can now be connected with a licensed professional virtually anytime to talk about what you’re struggling with. The stress of having to find a meeting or see someone in person is a thing of the past. With the introduction of new telehealth resources, those who struggle with addiction can get the help they need in any situation, including a global pandemic. I believe the ideal online treatment center would have a strong focus on inclusivity and availability. If money and funding were not an issue, there would be someone there for you at any time or place. Maybe it’s three am and you need someone to talk you off the edge, maybe you’re juggling three kids and don’t have the time to make it to a treatment facility, whatever the situation is, there’s someone available to talk to you through it. The staff understands how drug addiction can disproportionately affect people of color, LGBTQ+ teens, unhoused people, and those from low-income neighborhoods. They are trained to assist all types of people from all types of backgrounds in a stigma-free online environment. This treatment center is actively working to supply addiction services to those recovering with low incomes. No one would ever be denied help for fear of not being able to pay high rates. Someone’s family, someone’s health, someone’s life, isn’t ever something to put a price tag on. Even though this treatment center is virtual, that won’t diminish the social and support system aspect of treatment. Virtual group meetings would be available often, led by one of the center's addiction counselors. You would be able to find a virtual sponsor and message people with similar stories through the center's instant messaging system. Since funding isn’t an issue, they could even mail you virtual sobriety chips. While this center would offer one on one talk therapy and group meetings, it would also offer telemedicine resources. Users would be able to book a virtual appointment with a provider to see if a prescription could be right for them. They could be set up with a counselor to help them find options to pay for the medication if this ends up being the right decision. I think a unique and beneficial feature of this treatment center would be a social media-esque feed system. A text and image style feed where users could share and interact with each other’s stories. To help others feel less alone, you could share your testimony, something that motivates you to stay sober, or something you’re struggling with recently. This would offer a casual and user-friendly way to inspire others and receive support. I believe one of the most important services of this ideal treatment center would be its openness to feedback. Transferring treatment to the online world wasn’t a flawless transition, and this would be recognized. Addiction treatment is not one-size-fits-all, and the online counselors would understand this. Whether you need a sponsor, emergency contact in a dark moment, frequent group or family virtual meetings, or even an anti-craving medication, it will be possible to receive convenient help and support from the safety of your own home. Substance abuse is a very real issue that takes more and more lives every year. As the pandemic has shown us, no matter what the world throws, there is always help available. Though the perfect online treatment center does not exist, as this field evolves I am confident that one day we’ll have something close.

The outbreak and ensuing pandemic of COVID-19 majorly affected the availability of Substance Use Disorder treatment options, while simultaneously escalating the public health risks associated with addiction. People more stressed, according to research, are isolated and far less engaged in physical activities. According to the CDC and the American Medical Association, more Americans have reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses have also spiked since the onset of the pandemic, and this dangerous trend has continued. (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/03/substance-use-pandemic). I can envision an ideal part of the response to this national issue, and it would be to capitalize on a support network that lies all around us—the internet. It has the potential to privately, safely, and reliably reach many affected individuals. It would have no location boundaries. It would not force those who wish to get treatment quietly to come out in full view. I strongly advocate that no matter where addiction treatment occurs, focusing on the implementation of supplemental healthy “biological support in addiction” programs would greatly contribute to the success of the organization. The mission of this recovery center would be: to create a support structure around an individual and then help them build a healthy lifestyle in pursuit of stable, prolonged remission of substance abuse. The biological health programs would include: balancing nutrition, regulating exercise, and a focus on the development of daily routines that include routine sleep/wake times. To illustrate: from Munis Topcuoglu at EHN Canada, “Eating a healthy diet helps you with addiction recovery in a number of specific ways such as stabilizing your mood, improving your focus, increasing your energy, and making you better at resisting cravings for addictive substances and behaviors.  Conversely, nutrient deficiencies can make addiction recovery more difficult by making you more susceptible to depression, distraction, fatigue, and cravings." (https://www.edgewoodhealthnetwork.com/resources/blog/how-healthy-eating-can-help-you-with-addiction-recovery/) More research shows how sleep, routine, and physical exercise (75-150 min of vigorous activity per week, or 3-5 hours of moderate intensity activity) is essential to health and a key component of recovery from SUD. I am of the firm opinion that these elements, paired with the skillsets of amazing counselors, would make the most impact on the greatest number of lives. This center would guide each person embarking on the journey of recovery to meet with people like nutritionists and time management specialists. They would attend classes on sleep, hygiene, meal preparation, and have qualified guest speakers present on the facets of building a healthy lifestyle to replace addiction. Innovative ways to use technology would mesh principles that have been proven with in-person support groups. Networking recovering people together provides peer support, accountability, and a place for those in treatment to present their progress and insight to other individuals or a group. Technology makes many other things possible that aren’t without it. Using apps would help clients set goals, share goals, and track goals. They would get social praise and badges for progress. Technology would provide them easy access to a relapse prevention plan, and an emergency call line for when the inevitable difficult times come. I use apps to help manage my recovery and my behavior. I set goals, have an accountability partner I meet with bi-weekly, and enjoy my weekly counseling visits. Routines, eating well, exercising, and sleeping regularly are the physical foundations of my personal life and recovery. I have been excited for a while to become a drug and alcohol rehab counselor, to be one of the individuals who makes it their main objective to grant an addict the framework to change their life. I believe in the power of a counselor who stands beside a recovering soul. I want to further this field, and innovate in the healing process. Like many of you, I had to find my way. I know the heartache of a crumbling life, the shame of relapse, and the trap of just making it to the next chemically-induced good time. I have lost jobs, places to live, and life aspirations to my drug-addicted years. I, too, have started from the very bottom a few times. My dad is currently starting over in rehab. I am committed to helping and supporting him.

My story is not an easy one to tell. I come from a long line of addiction and struggle, but through the support of those around me and my stubborn drive, I’ve maintained 15 amazing years in recovery. One day, about three years ago, right around the beginning of Covid, my counselor and I were talking. About 10 minutes into the conversation, she asked me, “Why aren’t you sitting where I’m sitting?” I was a bit stunned. I’d never had someone have so much faith in me before. Even those who knew that I had struggled with addiction and had several years of recovery behind me did not truly have much faith in me. Who can blame them? I sure didn’t. So I went back to school. I have been at Purdue University Global since September of 2020, and I have maintained a 3.98 GPA. For a small town former “junkie,” this is a very big deal to me and to my family. I know I can make a difference with the experience and the education I have had. Covid made a massive impact on treatment for substance use disorder in that clients are now able to access online services. For those who reside in rural areas, this can mean the difference between life and death. I know how much treatment saved my life all those years ago, but I had to move to a big city to get that help. Addiction does not discriminate. It does not care if you are wealthy. It does not care if you are a man or a woman or if you fall somewhere in between. It most certainly does not care if you live close to resources or not. Ensuring that every single client has the access to counseling and substance use services could change the landscape of this country. If money was of no concern, the service I would want to see the most is counselors who are able to travel to their client. I believe in telemedicine, but sometimes, especially in the beginning days and weeks of recovery, people desperately need more connection than someone can offer through a screen. I would also make absolutely sure that each and every client had access to medications and counseling regardless of income or insurance. Something I have always disagreed with is the practice of ‘punishing’ those who present with positive drug screens. Having privileges taken away as if they are a child who needs to be reprimanded for breaking the rules. I understand that many treatment providers do not intend for this to appear as a punishment, but for many in outpatient treatment, that is how it feels. If I could, I would change how the DEA and the federal government handle treatment services. In my opinion, drug screening encourages clients to hide addictive behaviors, and I know this because I did it. The humiliation of observed urinalysis was embarrassing and nonproductive. There should be a better way. I know I do not have all of the answers, but I know what doesn’t work. The practices surrounding drug screenings need to change. Being in recovery myself offers a different, more well-rounded understanding of how substance use treatment works and how it can change for the better. It can be difficult to figure out what will work and what will not work for a client, but in order to find that out, there needs to be more room to maneuver in many states. There are states that are changing how they treat clients with substance use disorder, and those states seem to be having more success. I hope to see this continue to happen but on a nationwide level. I know there’s a better way, we just have to communicate that to the state and federal government.

The pandemic has drastically increased the world of Substance Use Disorder, and of Mental Health. I would even venture to say that we are in a Mental Health crisis. The economy is unstable and uncertain, isolation is the new normal, fear grips people regarding COVID, inflation is on the rise, but wages are not, and unrest surrounds the nation. All of these things weigh heavily on people, and it is leading to unhealthy outlets of escape. To escape the uncertainty and pressures of the world and daily life, many are turning to alcohol and drugs for a reprieve. Although this may create a temporary distraction, it is short lived, and so the cycle of usage continues. Addiction centers are ideal for treatment, however, they are not an option for everyone. Outpatient therapy and treatment would be the next recourse, however, there currently waiting lists or long wait times to be seen. This leaves the option of online treatment centers. This option is not only very accessible, but it allows for more patients to be seen and treated. I would create a treatment option in the Metaverse that gave patients an experience of actually being in the treatment center. This would allow them to fully engage in their recovery without having to leave their home. The treatment would be administered by licensed, experienced experts in the field of addiction and mental health. The centers would have group therapy, mental health treatment, accountability sessions, individual therapy, and random testing, all conducted within the comfort of a person's home. The Meta Treatment Center would involve the individual purchasing the treatment goggles, which would be covered by most insurances. They would go through an intake, personalized individual assessments, and all of the components involved in traditional treatment. However, it would add the components of optional dieticians, group fitness, music therapy, hands-on creative outlet activities, and more. This type of treatment center would drastically decrease the current 50 percent dropout rate of traditional inpatient treatment because patients would be undergoing treatment in their own homes. They would want to continue their treatment because it will allow them to feel as if they are maintaining control of their recovery, and not a facility. It will also eliminate the shame and embarrassment that most patients feel when entering an inpatient treatment center. Finally, the center will offer graduation for individuals who fully complete the program, and who stay clean the duration of the program, and 30 days after. During the 30 day probationary period after completing the program, individuals would attend a once per week individual therapy session, and they would also attend a one hour group session, just to maintain accountability. These group sessions would then be conducted weekly until the patient has established adequate sufficient stability to discontinue. These types of modern programs would alleviate the need for parents to leave their children, and for individuals to miss countless days of work or school. Although this format of treatment may not be suitable for all patients, it certainly would allow more accessibility to treatment for patients who qualify to enter this format of treatment.