Addiction Recovery

Have you ever boarded an aircraft and asked yourself the following questions? How do I know that the airline pilot isn’t flying under the influence of alcohol and drugs? What about the cab driver who took me to the airport? What about my dentist who gave me a root canal yesterday? How about the police officer who gave me a speeding ticket last week? Do you get the picture?

If we assume that 10 percent of the population has an addiction problem we are at risk every day. Closet alcoholics are all around us, performing services — many times with our lives in their shaky hands.

If these professionals recognize that they have a serious health condition such as addiction, why do they not reach out for help? Why do they continue to work and put our lives and their careers in jeopardy?

First of all, many if not most people suffering from addiction are under the severe delusion that they do not have a problem. In other words, they are in total denial!

“I’m not that bad! I just have few drinks to relax, that’s all.”

“How can I be an alcoholic? I’ve never missed a day’s work in 10 years.”

“I don’t drink as much as other people.”

Secondly, those professionals afflicted with addiction are usually afraid to admit to their condition because of the social stigma. The general public has a tendency to believe that addiction is caused, at least in part, by moral weakness and/or a lack of willpower. It is generally recognized that it requires tremendous willpower to study for 10 to 15 years to become a pilot or a surgeon. Yet, these highly trained professionals can become addicted to alcohol and drugs just as easily as the typical man or woman walking down the street.

The stigma of being an addict is so profound that even if the afflicted individual finally admits to having a problem; he and his family will go to great lengths to conceal the condition. If a professional is diagnosed with a life threatening condition such as cancer, the public is very supportive of the whole recovery process. Family, friends, clients and customers are kept informed and regularly offer to help out in any way that they can. However, if a professional leaves his current position to receive treatment for chemical dependency, that is another story. It is perfectly acceptable for Dr. Jones to be on a medical leave for cancer or a heart attack. However, it is far too risky to ever tell the truth that Dr. Jones has gone to rehab.

Whether or not society thinks it is a disease or not, alcohol abuse alone causes over 100,000 deaths in North America each year. As a society, we must acknowledge that addiction is a disease or we will continue to suffer the consequences of the many professional “closeted alcoholics.”

Is it practical to have mandatory tests before professionals such as airline pilots begin work each day? I don’t think so. This would be a very time consuming, cost prohibitive and completely impractical exercise.

Perhaps it is time to consider preventative screening for all professionals so that they no longer put the public and themselves into danger. An annual medical test usually includes preventative screening for conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Why not include preventative screening tests for substance abuse? This type of preventative screening has been utilized with huge success by some very large and progressive private corporations. Since they have more healthy and productive employees, they are also generating more profits.

The individual denial and societal stigma associated with addiction is the perfect breeding ground for future disaster. If there was no punishment for admitting to a possible substance abuse problem, many professionals could and would receive the treatment that they so desperately need.

It is about time our society faced this dilemma in a proactive and non punitive manner.

Dr. Larry Smith Chiropractor and Author of:

Embracing the Journey of Recovery: From Tragedy to Triumph!

Are You Recovering From Alcohol or Drug Addiction?

“If your answer is yes, then this book is for you!”

Embracing the Journey of Recovery will passionately reignite your spirit and teach you how to confront, conquer and powerfully triumph over addiction, cancer or any other life threatening illness! Is addiction a genuine life threatening illness like cancer? If so, then why is it concealed behind a wall of shame and denial?

Discover the answer and experience the remarkable story of two courageous yet ordinary individuals and their astonishing recoveries from heartbreaking tragedy. Find out how a cancer survivor and an alcoholic mutually support each other and passionately embrace the journey of recovery.

Their message is simple. They transformed their lives and you can too!

To find out more about this exciting new book click here:

http://embracingthejourneybook.com/

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Walk out smarter than everyone in tailor made shirts and trousers.