But after 15 minutes, Curtis was done. She’d had enough of what she calls “wine breath” in her face and bodies uncomfortably close to hers in an overcrowded space. In an instant, she knew it was time to leave.Curtis listened to her gut at the “Knives Out” party because for her, making the choice to avoid difficult situations is part of being in recovery, or the long-term management of the disease of addiction. She has been sober since 1999, after becoming addicted to Vicodin in the late ’80s.
The social stigma and the sense of shame that many addicts feel about their lack of control remain big impediments to seeking help. That’s why it’s significant when prominent figures speak out about their experience. “For every platinum album certification, there’s a Champagne toast. For every sold-out arena, there’s a Champagne toast,” says music manager Michael McDonald, founder of Mick Management and chairman emeritus of MusiCares. McDonald marked 20 years of sobriety this year. “I’ve never hidden my story. Now people just hand me a champagne flute full of club soda, and we get on with it,” he says.
“The opiate epidemic more than anything else has driven home the notion, among a large portion of the general population, that addiction is a disease,” says Kenneth Leonard, director of the Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions at the University of Buffalo. “In part that’s because a lot of people were given [opioids] as a prescription and then developed a problem.”
“I know quite a few young folks who get sober at a young age, and their stories of using and drinking are similar to mine,” Our Lady J says. “This younger generation is focused on health in a different way than previous generations. Having everything be online and on Instagram is such a healthy resource. They want to portray a healthy lifestyle because it’s trendy.”
“There used to be a time at the end of a day on a shoot at the camera truck — you’d have cocktails, and someone would have some coke, and that would be ok. Now that’s just impossible to imagine.”“I remember running up to this person and saying, ‘I have three months of sobriety, and I feel really nervous,’” Sagal says. “She gave me that look of commonality that allowed me to know I could get through the night.
Curtis often puts up a handwritten sign — “Recovery meeting in Jamie’s trailer every day” — near the catering area when she’s working on location. Curtis and millions of others have been helped by connecting with 12-step programs rooted in building community among addicts who support one another in their quests to stay sober. “I find recovery wherever I go,” Curtis says.
“Recovery is the goal of being out of the chaos of addiction. There are a lot of different pathways to that and there isn’t one right pathway for everyone,” says Caleb Banta-Green, principal research scientist at the University of Washington’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute. “There’s counseling, treatment, medication, getting physically fit, family counseling. We’re trying to de-stigmatize all of these things. These are complex medical, social and emotional issues.
Another factor that can be crippling for those in the grip of addiction is the fear that there will be social and even professional costs to cutting out mood-altering substances.
HeliosRecovery Lessons learned from this article: - addiction does not discriminate - Recovery is possible Thank you, Jamie Lee 💜
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