Regional Recovery, Treatment and Support Resources Coastal Horizons Center Main Office Willie Stargell Office Park 615 Shipyard Boulevard Wilmington, NC 28412 (910) 790-0187 | (800) 672-2903 Crisis Intervention Administration (910) 392-6936 Al-Anon Alcoholism Treatment Program 1908 Eastwood Road Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 509-2380 Wilmington Al-Anon Info Service P.O. Box 12706 Wilmington, NC 28405 (910) 509-2380 Wilmington Healing Center Christian Community Healing Center 4609 Wrightsville Avenue Wilmington, NC 28403 (910) 409-6573 Potter’s Wheel Ministries Drug Addiction Treatment Center 147 Faith Lane Mount Olive, NC 28365 (919) 658-3534 Open Door Ministries Alcoholism Treatment Program 199 E. Magnolia-Lisbon Road Magnolia, NC 28453 (910) 532-2175 Alpha Omega Home Ministry for Men with Addictions PO Box 709 2081 Highway 241 Pink Hill, NC 28572 (252) 568-3400 | (910) 271-4838 Valley of Hope Ministry Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation (for women only) 2617 Dobbersville Road Mount Olive, NC 28365 (919) 689-3791 31 www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM addiction is a disease As their sons work through their recovery programs, Ann and Betty work through their support programs. ANN Denial is part of the embarrassment and the shame. I kinda understood, but so much better understand now, addiction’s a disease. There’s a 17 percent rate for rehab effectiveness. That’s a low percentage for a disease. The biggest hump is that you really think it’s a behavior, that’s why in the younger years you think, “They’re bingeing, that’s what all college kids do, oh as long as he doesn’t drive.” Kids go off to service, you know you’ve seen a lot of your friends go through college, get married, grow up, and stop. Alcoholics can’t stop. That’s the nature of the disease. But what I’ve learned with the program, it’s truly a disease. You can take a drink, maybe two drinks, and stop. With an alcoholic, there’s a saying: One is too many and 22 is not enough. You have a kid who’s a diabetic and a kid who drank too much. You bring them into the emergency room — not to fault the medical profession, but they’re going to go right to that diabetic and not the one who’s drinking. And the diabetic, he’s not fol-lowing his program. He’s not eating correctly, he’s not taking his insulin the way he’s supposed to. Neither is the alcoholic. He can’t follow his pro-gram, unless he’s in a program. The basis is you have to find out who you are and you are not responsible; not that you’re not responsible, but that you’re not responsible for curing a person of an addiction. It’s a disease. That has to get pounded into your head. I’d say it was two years before I truly understood it is/was/ always will be a disease. We always have our isms and our behaviors and that comes with the support. It’s a very lonely disease. If your child has a horrible, chronic, fatal disease, you can share it, the community jumps in, they bring you food, they have fundraisers. My kid has a fatal disease. Once you have a suspicion, I really think you have to get yourself into a program that will then teach you how to go on. It’s an ongoing process that doesn’t happen immediately, but it’s ongoing. The wisdom comes from the support of the people who’ve been through so many things. You still learn so many things about yourself.
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2015
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