This interview originally aired on "In the Moment" on SDPB Radio.
Addiction is a chronic illness that impacts a patient's mental and physical health. We dispel misconceptions and social stigmas around this condition with Kelly Evans-Hullinger, M.D.
She breaks down the science of addiction recovery.
Dr. Evans-Hullinger is an internal medicine physician with Avera Medical Group Brookings. She joins us as our On Call with the Prairie Doc® team member today.
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Even in darkness, you can be found
By Nicola Park LAC, LPC-MH
“I’ve lost everything, but I just can’t stop."
“Once I take that first drink that is all I think about."
"I use it to take the pain away."
These are some of the many things you might hear someone who struggles on a daily basis with an addiction say. Addiction is a chronic disease that can physically and mentally change a person from who they once were.
When we hear the word addiction, we might automatically go to the person on the street looking to score their next fix stereotype, but these are people who struggle every minute of their day to make the unconscious choice to feed this compulsion without thinking of the consequences of what this might do to them or their family.
Addiction doesn’t pick and choose or have a "type" or criteria. Anyone from any gender, class, race, etc. can fall victim to this disorder. In my time at various jobs, I have heard addiction described as their own worst enemy, their best (and only) friend or the one thing they wish they could take back from their life. Now don’t forget, addiction doesn’t just stop at substances. You will see a wide range, including gambling, shopping, eating and pornography. That's only just naming a few that can consume a person's every waking thought.
As hopeless as addiction might feel, the good news is there is hope and recovery is possible. Now there might not be a cure for addiction, but with the right tools, you can certainly make positive changes to help maintain prolonged sobriety. I can sit here and say these words quite easily, but the road is far from that. These words are not said to discourage or make you scared, but to give a real perspective that it takes a lot of work, time, dedication and change, but with that, recovery is possible.
Whether you choose treatment, AA/NA (and others), other peer support groups or taking your recovery into your own hands, there are some core components that need to happen to gain a better chance of being successful. You can start doing this by surrounding yourself with positive support, changing your playgrounds by not frequenting the same places, gaining healthy coping skills and taking it one day at a time.
To finish, I always tell my patients to make sure they are addressing their mental health as well as their substance use. A beautiful life is waiting for you, but you need to take that first step in admitting to yourself you have a problem and asking for help.
Nicola Park is a licensed mental health professional/counselor (LPC-MH) and a licensed addictions counselor (LAC) at Avera Behavioral Health in Sioux Falls. She has been in the counseling field since 2011 and has worked in both inpatient, outpatient and residential school settings. Park has a master's in clinical mental health counseling and a bachelor's in addiction counseling and psychology.
