Editor’s Note: September is the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. This year’s theme is “Join the Voices for Recovery; Saving Lives, Saving Dollars.” As part of a three-part series, The Spanish Fort Sun will focus on recovery centers, recovering addicts and their story, and what it takes to kick addiction. This is part two of three.

SPANISH FORT — People suffering from substance abuse or addiction often need to change their behavior and their lifestyle, and treatment needs to be tailored to fit each person’s individual multiple needs.

Treatment is to help the patient achieve lasting abstinence, increase the patient’s ability to function and reduce the medical and social complications, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Sometimes relapse can occur at rates similar to those of chronic medical illnesses, like diabetes.

Relapses may require repeated treatments until abstinence is achieved, leading to recovery and the opportunity to lead a productive life.

The NIDA emphasizes that untreated substance abuse and addiction leads to significant costs for families and communities, such as property and violent crimes, child abuse and unemployment.

Seeking Help

The Shoulder, a Christian substance abuse treatment center, has been in operation for more than 19 years. Director Phillip Drane said The Shoulder is looking for people who need and want treatment.

“If we don’t help people, society will suffer,” Drane said.

Located in a remote area of Robertsdale, the Home of Grace is a substance abuse center specifically for women. The facility opened in April, and women can find quiet restitution in the backyard.

Patrick Collins, who had been a lawyer for 18 years, decided to leave his law practice behind when he was requested to be the executive director of the Home of Grace.

Collins found he loved coming out to the facility and and being part of the process.

“God sent me here,” he said.

Collins said he absolutely has no regrets for his new career choice.

“Money is not a good reason not to do what God tells you to do,” he said.

There are two requirements to enter the program at the Home of Grace for the 12 week program: You have to be 18 years or older; you must have a true desire to get better and lead a substance-free life. Clients that come to the Home of Grace try to “resolve conflicts here in a real honest way,” Collins said.

References to the facility usually come from churches, DHR, the legal system, Celebrate Recovery or are self-referred.

The Shoulder provided John with a very stable and safe environment, he said.

“It gives you your life back,” John said.

Help from The Shoulder became available while he was in the middle of his court situation, he said, and has helped him with other past charges and even writing progress letters to the judge. “Drug addicts have a hard time juggling [problems] and want to run from it,” he said.

He suggested that others who have the same problem work the l2 step program, “but the foundation has to be Jesus, because everything else is built on sand.”

Not Just About Jesus

The program at The Shoulder is based on a responsibility-based, holistic and realistic approach. The Shoulder is somewhat unique in that there are very few national treatment centers that allow clients to work during the day and return to treatment at night, Drane said.

Counselor Debbie Hanson said allowing clients to work is therapeutic, but leaving the facility can sometimes cause fear and temptation. So, it is nice for clients to come back to a safe place at night and deal with issues, Hanson said.

There are three different programs offered: Intensive out-patient residential treatment, residential rehab and the after care program.

The intensive out-patient residential treatment requires clients to live at the facility seven days a week, attend various sessions and are required to work a full-time job during the day.

Clients are responsible for their own transportation to and from work and they can take public transportation. After completion of the eight week program, the next step is residential rehab, which lasts for two months.

Clients are required to attend 12-step meetings in the community. The after care program lasts for 12-weeks. Family group therapy is held one night a week.

Joe Donaldson, an intensive outpatient treatment counselor, oversees the partial residential program and coordinates all treatment programs.

Donaldson formulates what treatment clients will get and makes sure that clients get two to three hours of treatment a night. The cognitive-behavior approach is used, and he tries to change the way that clients think, he said.

“I get a good feeling from helping others and helping change their lives around,” he said.

Clients at Home of Grace also follow the 12-step program.

Desire to Get Well

The desire to seek help is the most important part. Admission at The Shoulder is strictly voluntary and there is no lock down. The program is very structured and there is not a lot of free time for clients.

With the client’s permission, The Shoulder helps find out the extent of the client’s legal, financial and marital problems.

“They are given comprehensive care so they will at least know the status of their problems,” Drane said.

Caroline’s abuse began when she was a child. She was a victim of mental, verbal and sexual abuse. She believed at the time that the abuse that had occurred for most of her life was what she deserved. This led to self-destructive behavior, including an eating disorder, bulimia, and self-mutilation called “cutting.”

She said she ended up “running from the law” and lost everything, including her children.

Closer to Recovery

When Caroline was put in jail she got a bond to get out of jail and was admitted to the Home of Grace. She said she now wants to break the generational curse of drug and alcohol abuse.

Caroline recently experienced her first break through in her treatment. For the first time she finally realized she didn’t deserve the abuse she had received.

“I feel like a different person — not smothered by it anymore,” she said.

Chimere graduated from the Home of Grace when she was five months pregnant and stayed clean for the duration of her pregnancy, she said.

When John called his mother while in jail, she said she never wanted to talk to him again.

But a year into the program at The Shoulder, she called him, and now they have a good relationship. His father, who would get mad about Johns’ drug use, stuck with him through the worst of it all, and would often help him get out of jail.

“My Dad stuck with me through thick and thin,” John said.