(Music) Welcome to a special edition of The Balancing Act.
Today we're dedicating the show to reclaim your life.
Our focus is to shine a light on those who are working so
diligently to overcome addiction wether it's drug, alcohol or
maybe both.
Now the journey can be long and hard, but change is possible.
Joining me this morning to kick off our informative and
educational series is Dr. Maureen Esposito, Executive Vice
President of Clinical Services at Transformations Drug and
Alcohol Treatment Center in Delray Beach, Florida.
Good morning.
Welcome back.
Thank you very much.
I'm so glad you're here and I'm so glad we're talking about this
again because, you know, as difficult it is, Dr. Esposito,
it's possible to do it.
It is very possible.
Alot of people worry so much about addiction and getting
well.
There is hope.
And there is hope this morning and that's why over the next
half hour you're going to meet those that have hit rock bottom,
but with help, have not only survived, but thrived.
The Balancing Act starts right now.
(Music).
Dr. Esposito over the next several months we are going to
delve into the problem of addiction and really look into
the 12 step process, which is really important.
Help me understand it.
It's very important to look at the 12 steps.
We'll be looking at all of the various things that go into
treatment and the 12 steps is really the basis of recovery.
And the first step and you have taught me so much, is not only
admitting that you have the problem, but making the call.
Isn't that just oh so important?
Well I think recognizing it is the most important part.
Then of course once you realize there's a problem you have to do
something about it.
And to make that call sometimes is the very hardest thing to do
and yet that is the thing that leads to hope and leads to
healing.
And receive the help from a team there that really is waiting
with open arms.
Exactly.
We have a top notch team, medical people, psychological
people, spiritual people so that they can get a really well
rounded form of treatment.
And I met so many of your clients, but I'd like to touch
upon two gentleman, Tom and Josh, who had the courage to
share their story with me and I'd like our viewers to hear
what happened, what they did and where they are.
Can we do that?
Great.
Let's listen.
(Music).
By 21 pretty much I had nobody in my life.
I was living on the streets in the winter with no with you
know, the clothes on my back, no money in my pocket, um it was
pretty much just me.
I think in college I started kind of normally how most kids
in college do.
Just kind of drinking and going to parties.
Um, but the party kind of never stopped for me.
Drinking excessively, daily, smoking marijuana daily and then
experimenting with hallucinogens, acid, cocaine,
occasionally experimenting with heroin occasionally.
And that's kind of how I spent majority of my time in college.
Both were sinking deeper everyday.
So let's talk about that road to recovery.
When you decide now you need that help.
It was tough.
It was the hardest part for me was making the decision to make
an attempt in recovery.
The detox was a no brainer, but once I got into detox and
physically got better I didn't really I didn't want to go into
recovery.
I didn't want to go into the treatment.
Looking back now I can realize it was because I was scared to
death.
Transformations Drug and Alcohol Drug and Treatment Center
changed their lives.
Going to treatment I followed suggestions with what they told
me to do.
They helped me get better.
Um working with a therapist, having a medical team there to
get my physical state back and you know getting better working
with them is what was is what built that foundation so I could
actually live sober.
They both have come a long way.
You hear this alot.
Don't you?
We hear many many stories and this is rather typical story
from these two gentleman.
And they act to actually go through detox prior to coming
into treatment.
How does that work?
When a person calls, they will be determined if they have to go
to detox.
Most heroin addicts and alcoholics need to go to detox.
They're medically stabilized and then once that happens they're
able to come to treatment and begin that whole entire process
to recovery.
And when they begin that process what does that look like?
Well of course, you know are theme is one day at a time.
So it's not too overwhelming.
If people think of trying to recover and be sober for five
years or ten years it's very frightening and very
overwhelming.
So we look at the process as one day at a time.
They will be welcomed in, they meet a therapist and they start
to work on the issues that maybe started them using in the first
place.
And I can only imagine we heard from two different gentleman,
kind of like the same story, but I would guess that they're
approach for each one has to be different.
We really tailor make the treatment to the individual.
So we have you know, young women, older women, young
college students, we have middle aged business men and so it's
very important to take a look at the individual and give the care
that they need that will be customized to their actual
lifestyle.
And no doubt, Dr. Esposito, it takes courage to take that
initial step and for anyone out there that may say "I can't do
it", what would you tell them?
People are very very frightened and if they don't have the
courage to call themselves maybe a parent will call.
Maybe a spouse will call.
Maybe a friend will call and the receiving end of the call will
be someone from Transformations that is very very well schooled
in addiction and very emphatic.
And i think empathy can not be stressed enough.
And something I did appreciate alot at your facility is to see
not only a team, again that's waiting with open arms, but a
team that really understands because many of your
professional members there have actually be thru this as well.
Exactly and I think that speaks highly of the facility and many
many times people really like to deal with professionals that
have been there and done that.
And we're going to meet several of those professionals coming up
in this show.
Great people at Transformations who are really changing lives
here.
More coming up when this special edition of The Balancing Act
returns.
(Music).
Welcome back everyone.
Dr. Esposito, I want to talk to you now, I'm a parent.
I'm a mom and as a parent I can only imagine how tough it is for
anyone to watch their child, female or male, go thru and
become an addict.
It is very difficult.
It's very painful and when clients come in their parents
are suffering almost as much as they are.
And so we really treat the entire family.
We like to look at the person within the context of their
family.
How they got to be where they are and how the family really
effects their recovery.
And I've seen it first hand with a friend of ours who
unfortunately has become an alcoholic and the family is just
suffering day in, day out, and just holding onto hope that
something will give here.
Exactly.
Well we're talking about change and so when someone comes into
treatment it's all about change.
What needs to change.
You know, what has happened in their lives that really requires
a great deal of change?
What the family sometimes don't realize is they have to change
as well and they have to become extremely patient while this
person is going thru the process.
So treatment may be 30 days or so, but recovery takes a life
time.
And speaking of patients I'd like to share a story with our
viewers.
Ben.
We had a chance to sit down with Ben.
He lost his entire family because he has been an alcoholic
for many many years.
Let's listen.
Ben you've been struggling with alcohol for nearly 25 years.
Yes.
So much has happened in that time.
Would you say losing your family has been just the ultimate
worst?
Yes, um they talk about the loneliness of the alcoholic and
to live alone and know your family is in a different state
because they can't deal with living with you anymore um it
takes you to a whole new low.
Everybody has their own bottom, but that for me was the ultimate
bottom.
That's why Ben came here to Transformations Drug and Alcohol
Treatment Center to get the help he needed.
He started an intensive program to get clean and sober.
Ben, if your wife and daughter and two boys are watching this
what would you tell them right now?
I would tell them that I love them.
Um and I hope to be there for them some day in the capacity
that they need me to be there.
And I would thank them for their patience.
No doubt alienation is universal here.
It is.
I think addiction really separates people from their
families.
It separates them from themselves.
And so it's very very important to have a team of people around
you that can really help you thru this process.
Not only your family, but the recovering community which will
include Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and all
those self help groups.
And something I do want to note doctor is at Transformations the
family isn't alienated from the client.
And that's important to note that you don't just say good
bye.
You bring them together there as well.
Explain that to me.
Exactly.
They're a very very important part of the recovery process.
We invite them in.
If they're local they can come in and have family sessions with
their therapist.
We have an entire family weekend where people learn about
addiction.
They can um share their experiences with other families
that are going thru the same thing.
And of course they'll be with their loved ones, you know, in a
group setting.
Um so it's very important for the families.
Now, some families um aren't able to come to the facility and
what happens is we will have phone conferences with them so
they are never left out of the loop and they are really
educated and informed every step of the way.
And they are also still connected with God if they need
to be, right?
Well we have a spiritual program and it's called the Christian
program so we have our population divided into a
category of those that want a faith based program, those that
want a secular program, we have the over 30 age 30 crowd, we
have the under age 30 crowd and the needs are very different in
each of those groups.
We also separate many times the gender groups.
Women may not want to talk about sexual issues with mixed
company.
They don't want to speak in front of men about very
important details.
Men as well who have been sexually abused do not want to
reveal that in front of women.
So we have male therapist dealing with the men.
We have female therapists dealing with the women and the
women that are in that age category over 30 can really
relate to those that children, that have careers, that have you
know problems that really relate to that age population.
Now the younger ones also have their own needs and in that
category we see alot of young people that haven't completed
high school, they might not know how to do laundry, they might
not know how to make a bed or cook and so we really teach life
skills for that younger crowd that really really needs that.
Doctor I think it's important to note here that Transformations
does not discriminate against anyone.
Exactly.
Transformations is a very inclusive organization.
We have a program for gay and lesbian and people that are
questioning their sexuality.
And since there's so much judgement in the world about
sexuality it's very important for clients to come and feel
accepted and nurtured so that they can really explore the
issues that they have and really take a handle on addiction.
When we come back, doctor, we're going to talk about a story of
hope.
It is amazing.
You're going to want to hear this woman's story.
Stay with us.
We'll be right back.
(Music).
When your active you don't think about anybody else.
All you can think about is yourself and, you know, whatever
you need to do to get that next drug.
I then had that moment of clarity that they talk about
where I realize I don't want to continue doing this.
Like I'm, it's snowing outside and for me to on, you know, the
streets like do I even really know how to do that, you know,
like I'm gonna get way worse if I decide to do that and I
decided to pick up the phone and ask for help.
Now I'm a sponsor and um I'm also an alumni coordinator for
Transformations.
Um I've been here for two years.
Um and it's the best job ever.
I get to help people do exactly what I did.
And um I couldn't ask for a better life.
Um I'm still married and we have an apartment and a puppy and
he's like my child.
Um so I love, I just love life.
Now Halana has an amazing new outlook on sobriety.
She does.
She's really the poster girl for treatment.
This is a woman who came in very debilitated and has put her life
back together with the help of Transformations.
And she's actually helping others at Transformations to
reclaim their lives.
Exactly.
Tell me about her role there.
Yea, she is the head of our alumni program.
And the alumni program is extremely important.
Once treatment is done, the hard work really begins and Halana
keeps in touch with our clients and so that in the case of
someone maybe relapsing or slipping um because there's no
judgement very easily they'll be able to pick up the phone, talk
to Helena and if they need to come back to treatment they're
welcomed with open arms.
No judgement and no embarrassment really.
So normally the program will last how long doctor?
Usually it's 30 days.
You know, after they've had detox they'll come in for 30 day
program.
They live with us.
They'll eat with us, they'll go to meetings, they'll have a
variety of groups.
And of course all of the groups is where all of that takes
place.
All the magic takes place I like to say.
And in that they will deal with their addiction, deal with
family of origin issues, they'll deal with perhaps depression or
anxiety issues and so forth.
And really what it is is change.
It's learning a new way of life so we go to the beach, we have
barbecues, we take them to the movies, we go bowling, we go to
miniature golf.
So it's not all gloom and dume.
It's really about taking a hard look at the difficult issues,
but also learning how to enjoy life again.
Many of the clients have been using for so long that they
forget how to have fun.
We also have an outpatient program that deals with Eklin,
which is the horse farm.
Oh.
And that is absolutely beautiful.
And in your opinion how does that help them?
Um the horses are sort of matched up with the clients and
if you have a very redisent or frightened shy client many times
they will be gravitating towards a horse with the same sort of
disposition.
So they learn how to really engage with the horse and start
to build their confidence once again.
And again, it's a fun atmosphere so it's very very important.
And Doctor what about the client that maybe after all that still
has a relapse?
We look at treatment and we look at recovery as a process.
We look at it as a journey and many times families think go to
treatment for 30 days and your cured.
There is no cure.
This is managing a disease that is very deadly, but it can be
something that can be managed very very successfully.
So if someone should slip and it happens on occasion um they can
come right back into treatment.
And we hope this is helping our viewers out there as well.
Final thoughts right after this.
(Music).
Doctor we've covered so much in this half hour.
There's so much more to say, so much more to learn, but any
final thoughts right now for anyone out there that may be
suffering from an addiction?
May know someone who's addicted.
Transformations is in the business of changing lives and
restoring hope and I think that's probably the biggest
message that I'd like to give your audience today.
So my final thought is really to take that courage, have some
hope, give a call and if nothing else get that information.
And I know for a fact you've seen many clients who have taken
the journey and are doing great today.
Exactly, we call them our little miracles and it happens every
day.
Thank you so much for what you do.
Thank you so much.
This has been wonderful.
Thank you for your team at Transformations, for you, God
bless you all.
Thank you.
Our special series will continue in the upcoming months as we
introduce you to more of the Transformations team,
authorities in the industry, thought leaders, plus those who
are going thru the 12 steps.
And Doctor, more information on the 12 steps, where can our
viewers go?
They can go to our website, TransformationsTreatment.com.
TransformationsTreatment.com.
Great.
Again, thank you.
Thank you.
God bless you and be sure to head to our website
TheBalancingAct.com for a link to Transformations Drug and
Alcohol Treatment Center and all the resources they offer.
Thanks for joining us today and remember find your balance.
(Music).