Life Lessons from a Detox Centre

I’m a Program Worker at a Detox Centre, and I tend to see people at their worst, full of denial, and with a hate on for authority.  That’s okay, that’s just where they’re at now, I look for potential in all of them because, as a recovering alcoholic, I’ve been in their shoes before and I know that this period need not, and does not, define their lives.

Each resident we serve has their own story, their own reasons why they drink or use drugs, and each has a motivation, sometimes hidden, to be clean and sober.  Sometimes, unfortunately, their addiction is stronger than their motivation to change, and we lose them, either because they choose to leave, or because we have to send them home.  These aren’t bad people even though they may have done bad things, they are sick, they have a disease that tells them they don’t have it.

For me, the hardest part of this job is not dealing with their behaviours, but with the emotional impact of listening to their stories.  It’s hard not to get highly emotional when you listen to a young woman speak of the sexual abuses she endured from age four until she was old enough to leave home, or the young man’s story of how his old man beat him savagely for playing a little too loudly.  Our Detox Centre is filled with residents with similar stories who sought an escape from the pain by using alcohol or drugs.  As hard as their stories are to listen too, I am happy to sit and listen because I know that sharing those stories is a critical step in the process of recovery, and it helps me to remember that I am dealing with emotionally scarred people, not monsters who lie, cheat and steal.

I learn as much from them as much as I hope they learn from me.  Working in this field has helped me to become a better human, it has taught me powerful lessons about tolerance and acceptance, and it has strengthened my belief in the dignity and worth of all people.  As a result, I try to treat each person I meet, not only the residents I serve, the same way that I would like to be treated, and I reach out my hand whenever anyone needs help, without prejudice, without judgment.  I am absolutely grateful for my job, and for all the addicts and alcoholics whose courage, strength, and hope have inspired me and helped me to become the person that I am.

Love you all!

Luc