Periodic Newsletter
Volume 13 • FEBRUARY 2024
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| Hand-in-hand, we can work to remove stigma and provide needed support and guidance to our congregation members and their families who are suffering. |
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Dear Savannah Faith Leaders,
You are receiving this e-newsletter because we have designed it for you. This is our thirteenth edition.
We are the non-profit Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition, based in Savannah and founded in January of 2019. We provide education and support for faith leaders and their laity leaders on the subject of addiction and recovery. Our aim is to prepare you to offer the counsel that your faith community members need at this time when addiction in many forms has increased.
If you are not a faith leader, you are probably in the helping professions and you have asked to be included in this mailing. Welcome!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
* Developing a sixth Sense from Drew Brooks, Executive Director of Faith Partners
* Parallels and insights from Kelly Styles, Stephen Ministry Chair at Trinity UMC
* Information on non-12 Step Recovery programs from Tim Arpin
* Words straight from a mother’s heart
* A personal story from Eric China,Substance Abuse Program Director at Chatham Co.Jail
* A very encouraging message about Savannah’s Counter Narcotics Team’s
prevention programs
* Evelyn Wilson’s remarkable story of her 51 years in sobriety
Content editors: Carol Pine, Kai Hendricks
Editor, Layout and Design: Ardra Hartz
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“Al-Anon Family Groups have one focus: to help friends and families of alcoholics. However, Al‑Anon’s 2021 Membership Survey reported that 28% of Al‑Anon members first came to Al‑Anon because of a relative or friend’s drug problem. Individuals concerned about someone’s drug addiction are welcome to attend Al‑Anon to determine if it’s right for them.”
An exerpt from the Georgia Alanon and Alateen Web page: https://www.ga-al-anon.org/
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| Drew Brooks is the Executive Director of Faith Partners since 2011, a non-profit organization since 1995 providing leadership, strategic planning, consultation, and training to educate clergy and develop congregational lay team ministries. Drew has completed coursework for a Masters in Science degree in Psychological Services, which included Chemical Dependency Counselor training at Hazelden. He has worked in the prevention, treatment, and public health fields for nearly 40 years providing training and consultation nationally. |
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Faith Leaders Can Develop a “Sixth Sense” By Drew Brooks
I was asked by a longtime friend and colleague to offer my thoughts about helping faith leaders develop a “sixth sense” so that they can respond to people experiencing addiction personally or in their families. The question is very practical: how do I identify people with problems and get them where they need to go? But the answer requires forethought.
I had a check-in with my spirit and the answer didn’t come right away. As Executive Director of Faith Partners, a national organization created to help faith communities and faith leaders address addiction in their midst and foster hope and healing, I thought back to my past training and experience at Hazelden (today Hazelden Betty Ford). I could hear my counselor training supervisor talking about the dangers of accepting the responsibility of a “change agent”:
A change agent wants to prompt change in others, and he or she often takes on “ownership” of some of these changes. If there is positive change, we feel successful, and if there is no movement or backsliding, we might feel guilty or inadequate. This is a slippery slope!
We humans who want to help can fall into the trap of feeling responsible for the person and their situation versus being responsible to the person. When we’re responsible for someone, we are often operating out of our own needs. We’re inclined to want to fix, protect, rescue, control, carry their feelings, and often stop listening. In these times, we need to respect the person enough to not take on their problems and instead help them find the needed resources and their own personal solutions.
My suggestions are three-fold. First, anyone – especially faith leaders — needs to understand his or her own relationship to addiction. Do you have your own unhealthy attachments? Did you grow up in a family system with addiction? We need to know, understand and accept our own stories. By doing this, faith leaders can operate less out of their own needs and with fewer “blind spots”.
Second, once we can see more clearly, we are better able to use all of our senses: taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch to identify the possible signs and symptoms of addiction. Signs are observable behavior or changes in behavior. Symptoms tend to be physical ailments or internal issues that are self-reported. Anyone sharing symptoms needs a safe environment. Faith leaders can create that safe environment through preaching and teaching and/or congregational members willing to share their “lived experiences” in congregational settings.
Finally, when faith leaders own their own stories, they can create safe environments that invite honest sharing. They can meet people where they are and address what people need (not what the faith leader needs). They can listen, understand and ask neutral questions that draw out deeper answers. It is not uncommon for a person who seeks out his or her clergy to talk about parenting issues, financial problems, or spousal conflicts. These can be just the “presenting problems”. Rely on your “sixth sense” to ask the needed questions that might lead to underlying problems with substances, other addictions, or related mental health problems.
Beware of a desire to find answers and solutions too soon. Instead, create a safe space both in personal relationships with congregational families and with individuals. Step into pastoral care based on a person’s own timing and needs. The best ‘rule of thumb” with exercising our intuition is this: when in doubt – check it out. Don’t be afraid to act on your intuition or “sixth sense”, but make sure you confirm it by asking enough questions and ultimately steering the person who is struggling to the help they most need.
In Savannah, faith leaders and others are blessed. The Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition is an excellent source of local help for individuals and families affected by addiction. (https://interfaithaddictionandrecoverycoalition.org or call Carol Pine, co-founder, 651-291-7236 or Janis Ellington 912-678-4480
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An exerpt from the book HOW ALANON WORKS: page 333:
“An ongoing mental struggle was nothing new to me. As a child, I worried about what other people thought of me. I used to feel ashamed when teachers wrote on my report cards that I lacked maturity, or when other children called me a baby. Their words bothered me, I think, because they rang true (in my head).Yet, in other ways, I was old beyond my years. As a child (living in chaos), I grew up too fast.
My parents couldn’t nurture me emotionally. I suspect they behaved badly because they needed nurturing themselves. I was insecure, fearful, and passive, traits that I carried into adulthood.I was terrified of abandonment. I have always felt like a child among adults, convinced that everyone knows what they are doing except me.
As I got older, I buried my insecurity deep down inside. I acted sure of myself, took on more responsibility than most people can handle, pushed myself to do things perfectly, and told everyone “No Thanks. I can do it myself.” Inside, of course, I was scared.
During my teens, I discovered that alcohol and drugs made me feel more confident. I was hooked! At 26, I hit bottom and joined Alcoholics Anonymous.”
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“Addiction is a treatable, chronic medical disease involving complex interactions among brain circuits, genetics, the environment, and an individual’s life experiences.”
American Society of Addiction Medicine
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Dr. Kelly and his pal Greta Garbo
Although now a retired Emergency Room clinician and resident consultant, Dr. Kelly Styles was motivated by a deep commitment to enhancing medical education. Kelly embarked on a mission to instill empathy and improved listening skills for both patients and families among new residents.
His journey towards prioritizing compassionate care traces back to his involvement with the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York. Working closely with individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, Kelly witnessed firsthand the profound impact of stigma on healthcare-seeking behaviors. This experience ignited his determination to address the barriers preventing many from accessing essential medical care.
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Addressing the Stigma Associated
with Two, Complex Diseases
By Kelly Styles
I have spent nearly 40 years in hospital emergency rooms where 50 percent of visits are now addiction-related.
But here is my concern: there is a notable disparity between evidence-based treatment for drug overdose care and alcohol dependency care. While emergency rooms effectively manage acute drug-related health issues, all too often alcohol dependency is routinely assigned “hold for referral” to counseling. We can do better!
I was reminded of this troubling fact when I attended Doors to Hope: Recovery in Our Community on October 14, 2023 in Savannah where William Cope Moyers, author of “Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption” and Vice President of Public Affairs and Community Relations for Hazelden Betty Ford, shared his story. Mr. Moyers was the keynote speaker for an educational event sponsored by the Savannah-based Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition.
Mr. Moyers shed light on the intricate facets of addiction, also called Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in medical and treatment circles.
Mr. Moyers portrayed addiction not merely as a behavioral issue but as a complex disease requiring comprehensive understanding and support. While reading “Broken”, I found myself comparing the societal and healthcare responses to addiction and recovery and the approach taken during the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
For me, the most prominent parallel brought out between addiction and recovery and the HIV-AIDS crisis lies in the stigma attached to both. During the 1980s, my friends affected by HIV-AIDS were subject to intense social stigma, often leading to discrimination and ostracizing.
Similarly, those struggling with addiction face a similar societal judgment, often labeled as morally weak, rather than recognized as individuals grappling with complex medical conditions.
The good news is that the perception of both HIV-AIDS and addiction have evolved. The initial response to HIV-AIDS was riddled with fear, misinformation, and prejudice, mirroring the initial perception of addiction as a choice rather than a disease. However, as our knowledge has increased, both scenarios for addiction and HIV-AIDS have witnessed a gradual shift in perceptions. The healthcare industry, over time, recognized HIV-AIDS as a medical condition, leading to improved treatment, education, and support. Similarly, addiction and recovery is slowly being recognized within medical frameworks, emphasizing treatment, harm reduction, and compassion.
Access to adequate healthcare still poses significant challenges. During the HIV-AIDS crisis, marginalized communities faced difficulties in accessing proper medical care due to various
barriers, including socio-economic status and societal discrimination.
Similarly, individuals struggling with addiction often encounter obstacles in obtaining quality treatment, ranging from financial constraints to limited availability of resources and societal biases.
As society progresses, I believe the parallels drawn from “Broken” serve as poignant reminders of the transformative power of empathy, education and informed healthcare policies in addressing these complex medical and societal issues.
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| Tim Arpin was born and raised in Savannah, GA. Growing up on Wilmington Island, he is one of 5 boys. He attended Benedictine Military School, then Furman University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. He started a real estate company with his twin brother, providing housing in the Savannah Area. He is married to Miranda Arpin, raising 4 children. Both Miranda and Tim are active in the recovery community, believing that fellowship is a key component in living an enriched life. |
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Recovery Dharma And Other Non 12-Step Options
By Tim Arpin
Recovery Dharma is peer-led and does not follow any one leader or teacher. Rather, it trusts in the wisdom of the Buddha (the potential for our own awakening), the Dharma (the truth, or the teachings), and the Sangha (our community of wise friends on this path). This is a program of empowerment and does not ask us to believe in anything other than our own potential to change and heal. We have found a guide to recovery in the Buddhist teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path, and we invite you to investigate these practices and principles as tools for your own path of liberation from the suffering of addiction. We understand that this is not the only path to recovery, and many may choose to combine these practices with other recovery programs.
We use the practices of meditation, self-inquiry, wisdom, compassion, and community as tools for recovery and healing. We welcome anyone who is looking to find freedom from suffering caused by substance use, process addictions, (like codependency, sex, gambling, disordered eating, shopping, work, technology, etc.), and any other unhealthy habitual behavior. We approach recovery from a place of individual and collective empowerment supporting each other as we walk this path together.
You can find more information at recoverydharma.org Savannah currently has two meetings; Wednesdays and Saturdays each at 6PM at Unity of Savannah, 2320 Sunset Blvd, Savannah, GA 31404.
SMART recovery (Self -Management And Recovery Training) is another option, which can be researched by following this link: https://meetings.smartrecovery.org/meetings/
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A Mother And Her Son: How Addiction Affects Family
FB Posts: Reprinted With Permission
June 26, 2023: I love my son so very much but seeing him still takes it out of me emotionally. I hold it together while we are together but fall apart once I leave him. I will choose to go through that again and again if it means I get to love on him for a few moments. It’s the price I pay for love. He will always be worth it to me.
June 26, 2019: I am DEEP in my feelings this morning. When I finally get to spend time with my son it takes a LOT out of me. As a mom, to know that all I have to offer him at this time in his life is a warm meal and a bed for a few days, the reward feels minimal when I think about how I now have to drop him back off on the streets today. I’ve done EVERYTHING a mother could possibly do these past four years to help him, but the reality is that my efforts are useless against the hold this way of life has on him. I’ve spent the last three days searching for glimpses of the boy I raised, the man I knew before addiction stole him away. I look into his eyes and see a broken man ready to give up. He hates his life but heroin addiction doesn’t just stop because you want it to…he knows that all too well. He suffers with it, and he suffers without it. To be totally transparent, today I say goodbye wondering if it will be my last goodbye.
Friends, if you see my son and daughter-in-law walking the streets of Decatur, offer them a meal and a hug from his momma. Thank you.
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| Eric J. China, Substance Abuse Program Director/Counselor for HDH Addiction Services at the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office in Savannah, GA., has been providing substance abuse treatment and education to incarcerated individuals with substance use and mental health illnesses for over 14 years now. Mr. China is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor II, as well as a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor, and has also obtained a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Mr. China is currently a PhD Candidate, in which his doctoral program area of study is Advanced Studies in Human Behavior. |
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Being A Catalyst For Transformation
By Eric China
As the Director of a treatment program within a jail setting in Savannah, GA, my role encompasses providing Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Substance Abuse Counseling to incarcerated individuals. Over my 14-year career in counseling, I’ve witnessed first-hand the destructive impact of drug addiction.
Despite being confined within a correctional facility in their pursuit of sobriety, individuals find themselves there for an identifiable reason at that particular juncture in their lives. Contrary to common belief, positive transformations can emerge from the most unexpected and challenging circumstances.
One poignant experience comes to mind involving a participant in our treatment program who initially exhibited significant resistance to change. This individual had endured the loss of employment, housing, marriage, and custody of their children to the Division of Family and Children Services due to their addiction.
Beneath the inmate’s defiance towards treatment lay layers of hurt, anger, guilt, and shame. It wasn’t until about four weeks into the program, during a discussion on the concept of “change” and the necessity of a “higher power,” that a breakthrough occurred.
I emphasized the human tendency to believe we can single-handedly overcome our struggles, highlighting the limitations of individual power in achieving lasting change.
Moved by this realization, the participant approached me in tears, acknowledging the profound impact of the addiction that destroyed so much and the inability to bear the burden of shame, anger, and guilt alone any longer. From that moment, that inmate committed wholeheartedly to the recovery journey, prioritizing sobriety and seeking support from the jail’s spiritual community through Bible study and interactions with the chaplain.
Successfully completing the treatment program marked the beginning of a remarkable transformation for this individual, who secured employment, rebuilt family life, and became an active member of both AA and other recovery programs. In our final conversation, the inmate expressed deep gratitude for my patience and guidance provided throughout the journey, recognizing the indispensable role of seeking a higher power in sustaining his recovery efforts.
This individual’s personal experience underscores the significance of faith communities in supporting individuals who are grappling with addiction. True recovery extends beyond the confines of a treatment program; it requires a collective effort and a recognition of the spiritual dimension in healing.
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Michael G. Sarhatt is Director of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT). He can be reached at msarhatt@chathamcounty.org
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Savannah CNT Perseveres With
Policing And Prevention
Thank you to the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition for your work. I have attended your Coalition meetings, and I have seen the determination of your group to help Savannah’s faith leaders understand addiction and how they can help individuals and their families who struggle with the disease of addiction.
As Director of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT), I am responding to an article that appeared in the Savannah Morning News on February 14. Over the past month, the newspaper interviewed me several times about the Opioid Crisis and what law enforcement is seeing here in Chatham County.
The article focused on the law enforcement component of the drug problem and — as someone who has spent 36 years in drug law enforcement — I have learned that we cannot enforce our way out of this problem. The article talked about how dangerous fentanyl is because drug dealers are lacing illicit drugs sold in our community with fentanyl. Here is the hard fact: use a drug with fentanyl only once and you are dead. This is what makes the Opioid Epidemic that we are experiencing today so serious. Unlike past epidemics involving heroin, cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, pills and alcohol, today’s drug users lose their lives before they can even have a chance to receive life-giving treatment. They don’t even have time to become addicts in the first place.
Telling this story about fentanyl is vital, but – as Paul Harvey used to say – here is the rest of the story:
Any addiction is a very complex problem with many components. With drug addiction, there is no one solution. There is a strong stigma associated with addiction: the misunderstanding that addiction is a personal weakness, not a disease. There is the law enforcement component of addiction, medical dual-diagnoses, treatment and recovery components, along with the importance of awareness and education in our community.Our Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team has developed a comprehensive program to address the several components of the drug and addiction epidemics which we see today.
We offer presentations in our high schools and middle schools and, this year, we launched a Positive Peer Influencer Program in collaboration with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System and the County Mediation Center. We trained more than 60 high school students on the dangers of drugs and fentanyl. These students, in turn, share their knowledge with middle school students because we believe that they can carry the message more effectively than we can.
Our CNT has given presentations to dozens of local organizations to get the word out about drugs and fentanyl over the past two years and more than 2,500 people have attended these talks. We have also designed, built and outfitted a mock-up of a teenager’s bedroom filled with red flags and hiding spots for drugs. We call this traveling educational program our Adult Drug Awareness Platform and we will bring our mock-up to your location. Simply go to our CNT website for details: https://cnt.chathamcountyga.gov/
With funds from Chatham County, we now have more dual-diagnosis doctors who are practicing in our area and more accredited Licensed Practicing Counselors serving the public school system. We are partnering with Gateway Behavioral Health and Recovery Place on our educational projects and we established the Healing Hearts Family Support Group for families who have lost loved ones to drug overdoses. Please call 912-652-3930 to learn more about our Support Group.
There are also new tests available that can identify if a person is genetically predisposed to an opioid addiction. You can contact me directly if you want more information about this: msarhatt@chathamcounty.org
No one organization has the resources or expertise needed to address this insidious epidemic that can threaten the life of any human being. Please know that there are many initiatives underway in our community that are deserving of your support and involvement.
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Evelyn Wilson, a long time recovery icon, earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Adelphi University in 1985. Moving to Savannah in 2006, she worked at Recovery Place as a Substance Abuse Counselor. Three years later, she moved to similar work at the Coastal State Prison. After an initial retirement in 2021, she returned to her counseling work at the Chatham County Jail where she counsels inmates three days a week. Although she will be 83 in April 2024, she states that she will never stop working with alcoholics and their families because that’s what she was put into the universe to do
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This Is My Story
My name is Evelyn W. I am 82 years young, and 51 years sober. I am a licensed Unity Teacher with Unity Church of Savannah. I was born on April 30th 1941 and raised in Harlem, New York.
I am the only child of parents who migrated to New York City in the 1930’s looking for a better quality of life, as most African American families did in those days. I am the only member of my family in that generation that went to college and obtained a college degree. Being an only child, I knew nothing but love from my parents. (I was told that there were two stillborn births prior to my arrival, and when I arrived, I was the light of my parents’ eyes. I was told they could not take their eyes off me).
I felt loved, cared for, and protected. I was 11 1/2 years old when my father died, and I was 12 years old when my mother died. Neither of my parents drank or drugged. No one ever saw my father drink or smoke a cigarette, my mother drank occasionally. So how did I turn out to be the “biggest drunk & cocaine addict in Harlem”? I took my first drink at the age of 12 and fell in love with the way it made me feel.
So much so, that I never shared that statement with anyone until I came into the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Why? Because deep down, I knew it was “abnormal” to feel that way, and I didn’t want anyone to know how I felt. I drank as much as I could, as long as I could.
I entered A.A. in 1969; I did not get sober until 1972. Why? Because I was in denial. using all the excuses alcoholics use so they could continue to drink. I was too young, too black, too poor, too unloved; you name it, I used it.
What I say to individuals whom I sponsor, is what I said to myself 51 years ago. Either you stop drinking or you will die! The only thing that stopped me was the question I asked myself while sitting in an A.A. meeting, drunk, as I looked at the Third Step. I thought, Evelyn, “Do you want to live or do you want to die?” I answered with a resounding YES! I want to LIVE! I heard myself say, “I want to live.”
I say that to myself today, when faced with any difficulty. It gives me the “courage to persevere.” Just the saying of “I want to live” helps me, and I have been LIVING not DYING since that time.
How does one remain sober and clean in A.A. for 51 years (since May 19, 1972)? I live the 12 Steps of A.A. What does that mean? I acknowledge to myself that I am an alcoholic and a cocaine addict and that I cannot drink or use any mind or mood changers safely.
I have come to believe that a power greater than myself can and will restore me to a state of sanity if I remain in A.A. I made a conscious decision to turn my life’s problems and issues with life over to a loving God, whom I believe will handle any and all problems that I encounter.
I take a thorough inventory of my life, and I admit to God, to myself, and to another human being exactly when I have made a mistake (to myself, or someone else). I humbly ask the God of my understanding (The God that Loves Me) to remove my shortcomings.
When I have become strong enough in the A.A. program, I make a list of all the individuals I have done harm to and ask God to give me the courage to become willing to make amends to all of them. I made amends to those people when it was possible. I chose not to do so, if it would hurt anyone.
Every day I take a personal inventory of my life by attending an A.A. meeting,
while praying for the knowledge of God’S will to help me carry out that will. Having a spiritual awakening on a daily basis of how blessed I am, I carry the message of A.A. to others, and try to practice the principles of the A.A. program in all my affairs.
I have come to realize that without God and A.A., I cannot manage my life and that no human power could help me. I further realized that God would indeed help me if I allowed the good Spirit to enter my life!! That is how I have remained sober for
51 years.
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