They Were Unique, Misunderstood, and Among my Greatest Teachers
A retrospective of my twenty-seven years working with individuals with substance abuse challenges
I was employed in the human services field for thirty years; the majority of those as an addiction counselor and clinical supervisor for the State of New York. I received my first introduction to the addictions field in 1979, approximately two years after I graduated from Utica College, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. At that time, I worked as a youth employment counselor with a local nonprofit agency. While doing community outreach as part of my required duties, I discovered a day treatment facility that provided services to individuals with alcohol and other substance use challenges. After a couple of visits, they asked me to conduct job skills training classes with their clients. As a result, I became increasingly interested in working with this group of individuals on a more regular basis. My wish soon became a reality. In July of 1982, I secured a job with the Oneida County Probation Department in their Stop-DWI program. In 1985, I was hired as an outpatient substance abuse counselor at a local agency where I remained until I was hired in a similar capacity by the State of New York in 1986. I retired in July of 2012, embracing a second career in teaching and doing bereavement support in my community.
We Are Not Our Labels
Shortly after embarking on my career in addictions counseling, I realized that stigmas were routinely attached to anyone diagnosed with alcohol or other drug abuse issues. One of the more common ones was that of the “skid row alcoholic.” Chemical dependency is an equal opportunity disease. It does not discriminate as to the types and socioeconomic status of those individuals and families it chooses to touch.
They were also labeled as “drunks,” “druggies” and “junkies”, among other things. These labels did not come close to capturing the spirit of the men or women who experienced substance abuse challenges. Many are creative, intelligent, compassionate individuals. Many have experienced extended periods of sobriety and engaged in service work with those new to sobriety. With proper medical treatment, therapy, and support, many were able…
