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Recovery in the News
Forum tackles addiction myths: Substance abuse called brain disease
Jonathan Yeomans
The Robesonian
September 30, 2007
LUMBERTON - Dr. Martin Brooks put the plug in the jug in 1978. Almost 30 years later, the Pembroke doctor says he is "dry enough to be a fire hazard."
Brooks shared his story of addiction and recovery with about 30 people last week at a forum called "Understanding Addiction and Recovery." He was one of four featured speakers at the event, which was held at the Chavis University Center at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
Monday's event featured portions of the HBO documentary "Addiction," followed by a discussion with the panelists about the meaning of addiction, relapse and recovery.
Mark Schwarze, a counselor at UNCP, said the goal of the talk was to erase the stigma associated with substance abuse. Schwarze said he hoped that if attendees learned one thing from the presentation, it is that addiction is a brain disease.
"As much research and science as we have, people tend to ignore it," he said. "They still think of the stereotypes, like the person that lives under the bridge ... Addiction is a brain disease, and like any other disease, it has symptoms and treatments.
"The more we put the idea that it's not shameful to have the disease, the more people will get help for it," he said. "If we keep putting it out there, it will help change the culture."
According to statistics gathered by the Alcohol/Drug Council of North Carolina, addiction is a growing problem in Robeson County. The nonprofit estimates 11,135 county residents were addicted to drugs or alcohol in June 2006, an increase of about 1,300 in three years.
Schwarze said that determining whether a person is addicted is difficult, but the main criteria is if the drug use or drinking becomes compulsive and interferes with the person's life.
"It's about loss of control; if they can't predict accurately what will happen if they drink or use," he said. "Most of the time they have no control over whether they start or stop."
Substance abuse may eventually lead them to depend on the drug to feel normal.
"If that cycle occurs enough over a period of years, they remain in a perpetual detox and withdrawal," he said, "... and the only way to feel normal is to use."
The documentary featured stories of three people - a 23-year-old girl, a middle-aged man and a teenage boy - as they grappled with drug and alcohol addictions. Candid footage of the addicts was interspersed with commentary by physicians who study and treat addiction.
Afterward, the panelists shared their thoughts on the causes, symptoms and treatments for substance abuse and addiction.
Dr. Theresa Bullard works on the psychiatric ward of Southeastern Regional Medical Center.
"A lot of people think addicts are street people," she said. "They aren't .... they are people whose life is consumed looking for that drug."
Bullard said that drugs and alcohol can stimulate the release of dopamine - the feel-good chemical in a person's brain - the same way shopping, eating and sex does.
Brooks echoed Schwarze's concern about the stigma. He said that education was essential to combat substance abuse.
Brook said that before he entered Alcoholics Anonymous, he didn't know why he couldn't stop drinking once he started.
"And I had an M.D.," he said. "I used to take drink to get ease and comfort, and then I'm off to the races ... it's an abnormality in our mind, an obsession that keeps pushing us back to the bottle."
He said there are physical, mental and spiritual sides to the ailment, and corresponding steps to recovery.
"But there is recovery and you can get well," he said. "The good news is I lived long enough to show that miracles still happen."
Joann Anderson, CEO of Southeastern Regional Medical Center, said that part of the reason substance abuse proliferates is that it often goes undetected. Addicts often are too embarrassed to divulge personal information.
"We don't identify substance abuse issues ... we treat the symptoms," she said.
Anderson said that the greatest symptom of substance abuse is denial. She said that at her previous hospital in Pikeville, Ky., she knew of at least nine babies who were born addicted to drugs and alcohol because their parents weren't forthcoming.
Brooks likened substance abuse to "a big turd on the living room floor that everyone knows about but does anything about."
He said family and friends of addicts should encourage them to seek help immediately.
"We've got to get this out of our closets," he said.
Brooks said that there are two parts to breaking addiction: treatment and recovery.
Treatment relies on relieving toxic effects of the drug, he said. Recovery is the life-long process of staying sober.
"Don't misconstrue either as cured, we are never cured," he said. "It requires continued ongoing care - that's recovery. It requires a definitive plan and a passionate desire to continue that."
Local treatment options are scarce, and the panelists said that Robeson County needs a halfway house where recovering addicts can stay for up to six months while they clean themselves up.
Anderson said she would like to see the school system devote more energy to prevention.
"I would like to put Dr. Bullard out of business," she said. "It's not realistic ... but tonight is a start.”
Copyright © 2007 Robesonian.