Dear Editor,
[Re: Buffalo goring, 56 hour weeks alleged as Volken faces shutdown, 91原创 Advance Times, Jan. 29]
[Re: Treatment centre shuttered by province, 91原创 Advance Times, March 19]
[Re: Volken appeals shuttering of addiction facilities in Surrey, 91原创, 91原创 Advance Times, March 26]
Most people these days understand that addiction is a disease. Unfortunately, it continues to be one of the only diseases in which the afflicted is often looked upon with contempt. Thus, people suffering from addiction try to conceal their condition to avoid the associated shame and social stigma. Addiction can happen to anyone. Like cancer, it doesn鈥檛 discriminate.
When afflicted by this disease the mind gets hijacked and the person鈥檚 brain deceives them into thinking they can鈥檛 live without their drug. They end up needing more and more 鈥� like a drowning person鈥檚 fight for oxygen. These powerful cravings will eventually dominate the person鈥檚 life and make them do otherwise unspeakable things to satiate the yearning. This is followed by feelings of guilt, shame, regret and self-loathing. Then the vicious cycle repeats itself. Any personal or professional consequences take a back seat to the addicted person鈥檚 immediate need. Work, family, friends, right, wrong, and rationale thoughts no longer matter 鈥� addiction eventually takes everything the person holds dear. It essentially steals their soul. However, people should not be defined by their disease. They are just people after all, with names, families, and feelings.
Our son, who is in his mid 20s, suffers from addiction. I won鈥檛 give his name, nor mine, for his privacy. Growing up, our son enjoyed a lot of success. He was an honour roll student throughout high school, he was athletic enough to play double and triple A hockey as well as high school sports. He had lots of friends 鈥� his dry humour and good-nature made him popular. At college he managed to be on the Dean鈥檚 honour roll every semester while also playing varsity volleyball. He graduated as an engineer and quickly found a job making $100k+ at 23 years of age.
But all this success and happiness came crashing down. The dabbling with drugs and alcohol at college with his friends had had a profound effect on him. His friends were able to stop when they decided. Not him! Its effect was too powerful. It insidiously locked itself in his brain and slowly, but surely, took over his belief system. He started missing work, telling lies to cover up his behaviour, he lost his job, he lost his apartment, he then got kicked out of our house, and was eventually holing up in a fellow user鈥檚 dark musty basement. Drug-seeking behaviour became his life focus 鈥� find, use, guilt, shame, isolate, repeat.
If any of this sounds remotely familiar to you, keep reading. If it doesn鈥檛, consider yourself very fortunate. You don鈥檛 want any part of this disease for your loved ones.
Our son found his rock bottom following two to three long years of hell 鈥� lucky in some regards, many suffer much longer to reach this point. No money, nowhere to live, physically beaten, socially isolated, mentally guilt ridden and personally depressed 鈥� a far cry from the kid who was on top of the world not long ago.
No one would ever 鈥渃hoose鈥� this type of life. My wife and I happened to glimpse a TV commercial about John Volken Academy (JVA) 鈥� a live-in long term recovery program. We researched it, made some phone calls and then reached out to our son to plant the seed. We had learned the hard way that you can鈥檛 force an addicted person into recovery. It must be their decision. Our son had already been to an expensive short-term recovery program, outfitted with the best psychiatrists and professional counsellors, only to quickly relapse upon his release.
Fortunately, after several months of nonsensical delaying, our son finally committed to JVA. Why?
鈥淭he decision to join JVA ultimately came down to my fear of living an unfulfilling life.鈥� His words. We were ecstatic and relieved, but admittedly a bit nervous about handing our child over to people we didn鈥檛 know, half of Canada away from us. However, opportunity is what one makes of it, and anything was better than where he was. He was welcomed by the JVA community with open arms. That was 18 months ago 鈥� our son is still at JVA and he is working incredibly hard on his recovery. So far it has been exactly what he needed, and I鈥檓 proud to report he is doing very well.
We鈥檝e read some very condemning things about John Volken Academy (Surrey) in the news the past few months. It seems JVA has had more than its fare share of bad press lately. It is for this reason I felt compelled to write this article and give our perspective. I want the people who are suffering from addiction, or have loved ones with this disease, to know that there is hope and that JVA鈥檚 recovery program is still a good option for them despite what some newspapers have reported. Our son is thriving there.
Regarding the B.C. ministry, we know JVA has now modified their program to be in compliance with ministry policy. Issues surrounding workers compensation and safety have been addressed. 鈥淪tudents鈥� (people in recovery at JVA program) of JVA are now paid for the work they do at their facilities and are treated as they would be in the public sector. Also, as JVA does not have a registered nurse on site, they no longer take clients requiring medication-assisted treatment.
People with substance abuse entering recovery (called inductees at JVA) are typically at the height of their addiction. Many are coming directly off of the streets where their daily life revolved around drug-seeking behaviour, using, and basic survival. To recover means they must heal mind, body and spirit. They must cut all ties with their 鈥渦sing past鈥� and start a new life of sobriety.
From what I鈥檝e read, recovery from substance abuse is one of the hardest things to do. There is no magic pill. It takes a load of courage, self-discipline, dogged determination, social support, proper counselling, and time. Recovery also involves: being able to express gratitude, being considerate and tolerant of others, developing a positive mindset and coping skills, adhering to rules and being accountable for one鈥檚 behaviour, being reliable and responsible, the development of logical thinking, evaluating consequences, gaining self-confidence and relearning how to love oneself. All of this is best achieved in a safe supportive environment. JVA has facilitated this for our son.
The disparaging news articles about JVA quoted grievances from some ex-students. The way these complaints were reported made it sound like JVA鈥檚 rules were draconian and in violation of their human rights. This has not been our experience, or our son鈥檚.
Conversely, we applaud JVA鈥檚 rules and that they enforce them and have consequences. Addiction causes disruption to brain chemistry and forces people into deviant and self-serving behaviour. Relearning to follow rules and being accountable for one鈥檚 actions is part of recovery. No cellphones was a deal breaker for someone in an article. Again, we are 100 per cent behind this rule, especially at the beginning. It's hard to start a new sober life if you have direct and continuous contact with the old one 鈥� plus social media access would surely compound the problems. At JVA, a cellphone is a privilege that takes time to earn, after one has established trust.
Complaints about JVA not allowing males and females to speak to one-another is contrary to our son鈥檚 experience. However, intimacy is not permitted as these individuals are in a vulnerable state and a new relationship can be detrimental to their recovery. The JVA is also trying to instill proper personal and social behaviours in its students. Proper language, manners, timeliness, cleanliness, etc. are all important behaviours to relearn. Having consequences for non-compliance sounds reasonable to us.
Another complaint was 鈥渁ll we do is work.鈥� I鈥檓 no expert, but I believe people in recovery need to be busy. They also need to develop their personal, social and work skills that will help them be successful in the future. Working allows students to take ownership of their recovery by helping to cover their room and board (JVA is otherwise free following the initial $5K registration fee). Working also fosters the development of coping skills, as students must learn to deal with the stresses of the job. Success in the work place can also be a source of personal accomplishment and promote feelings of pride and self-worth.
Not having university educated counsellors on site was another criticism of JVA. The current directors and counsellors at JVA have successfully gone through recovery themselves. They know first hand what the students are going through and what they need to do the be successful. This was a selling point for us, not a negative.
The JVA program isn鈥檛 perfect, but they are continuously looking for ways to improve. It obviously can鈥檛 be too bad if students who were unsuccessful on their first attempt are returning for a second try!
For us, we are eternally grateful to JVA. JVA has provided a safe, structured environment for our son to heal and to develop his life skills. His success here has gone a long way in improving his self-esteem and confidence 鈥� we notice personal growth and positive change every time we talk to him. With the continued support of the staff at JVA, our son is getting a new lease on life.
David, Ontario
