ADDICTION KNOWS NO BOUNDS

“In my mind I had this self-image, this self-perception that I’m something. I cannot let anyone know about this problem I have because it could rip me apart.”

Can someone connect to this statement? Sounds familiar, right? You absolutely heard it before from a friend, relation, partner, neighbour, client or any loved one? Yes! It surely does ring and sounds true indeed. Hiding drug use and using when alone is to primary symptoms of the disease of addiction. As a woman professional, as a mother, sister, workmate and so on I have come across professionals with an addiction problem and most of them are faced with a difficult dichotomy. It is quite interesting to note that they have the outward appearance and all the trappings of a successful life – the elite high-paying career, a position of protection like the police and responsibility, respectable, churchgoers, professional affiliations, an elegant home, a fancy car and even the requisite two-point-plump lovely children.

Studies have shown that when it comes to substance use and abuse, members of the helping professions, such as social workers, psychologists, doctors and nurses are at great risk - if not greater - than the rest of the population. The reason being that with high-stress jobs and burnout always a possibility, some may turn to drugs or alcohol to keep going or to relax. But when addiction takes hold, there is no easy escape and professionals battling the disease may have even greater obstacles to hurdle.
The Social Work Dictionary defines an impaired social worker as ‘one who is unable to function adequately as a professional social worker and provide competent care to clients as a result of a physical or mental disorder or personal problems, or the ability or desire to adhere to the code of ethics of the profession.

These problems most commonly include alcoholism, substance abuse, mental illness, burnout, stress and relationship problems’.
For one, research suggests that professionals such as medical personnel may be reluctant to seek help for addiction. In fact, a study published in Social Work found that social workers do not frequently seek help, even when they are high-risk alcohol and drug users (Siebert, 2005).
This may be linked to their personal beliefs about who they are and what they should be capable of doing for others. Helping professionals may struggle with a greater sense of guilt and shame than the rest of the population. They feel they should be able to control their substance use better.

Experience has taught me that there is an internal voice among professionals that tells them ‘I am competent, I am successful. Therefore, because I have an issue with a substance, it must mean I am a failure’. Often these individuals are so high functioning and assume they can handle themselves, but some are too ashamed to admit they cannot. Thus, they seek assistance too late or they complicate.
In fact it is not unusual for the substance use and abuse to be just one facet of a number of sources that are causing impairment. Substance abuse does not occur in isolation, so it is important that one gets help for the entire problems.
 Even a large part of the medical community has a hard time ‘grasping’ that addiction is a chronic progressive disease and not just an issue of morals or will. We have physicians who do not realise that it is a chronic organic brain disease, so they don’t understand why they cannot stop. Then come acceptance and ultimately acknowledgement on the path to recovery.

Some helping professionals say these professionals often want to grab the bull by the horns and go full throttle into recovery. I think with these types of professionals there is a higher level of intellectualising that they can ‘get through this’ and maybe they think they do not need to continue with treatment. It is important to speak to the family because they are often not aware of the problem. Many drug abusers are the best concealers of truth and marvellous pretenders. Education is one of the best solutions for everyone, I presume.

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