The POWER initiative was created to fill a void in the treatment for public safety officers addicted to drugs and alcohol. Treatment centers in general are not doing enough to help these hard-working public servants, and that’s why POWER is so important. It’s not that people don’t care – there are many clinicians and therapists out there that care a great deal for their clients, they are just unable to make their way through the red tape of treatment centers to do what they know is best for their patients.

I know how they feel. I was a clinician out in the public until just one year ago. During that time, I often felt that my hands were tied whenever I tried to go against the insurance companies or facilities to do what was best for my clients. Sometimes it was the general way everyone was put through treatment that didn’t seem fair for patients. Sometimes it was the length of stay that wasn’t right.

Here’s an example: if an insurance company decides that two weeks is enough time to treat my client, you can almost bet that two weeks is all the time the patient will get in treatment, even if as their clinician I know two weeks is not enough and they are going to relapse. Often times the treatment facility will not try to fight the insurance company because they’d be giving treatment that they wouldn’t be reimbursed for. It’s a combination of big insurance companies trying to make a profit and treatment facilities trying to make a profit, and often times the ones being forgotten are the patients themselves. Sometimes it’s also the clinician that is forgotten and with little pay, huge responsibilities, and feeling like they can’t go against the flow, it makes for a very difficult profession. Those that stick it out are usually the dedicated ones that really care about their clients. But I often felt unable to really help my clients because no one would listen to me, the one who best knew what the patient needed.

How did the world of substance abuse treatment get this way? It could be in the meager beginnings of treatment facilities when individuals, usually recovering addicts themselves, welcomed drug addicts into their small community and took care of them. There was no such thing as insurance coverage for drug treatment, or protocol for what types of treatment worked best. Now we have moved from humble beginnings to an entire industry, and the transition hasn’t always gone well. The industry is run by those trying to make a profit, and even if clinicians have a heart that really wants to help their patients, they face firing or an impossible amount of resistance if they speak up for their patient.

That’s why I’m glad there is Treatment Solutions Network, which has come up with a way to get beyond the different agendas of those involved. With knowledge about how much influence insurance companies really have, along with good relationships with treatment facilities that listen to what the patients need, TSN has been able to make huge strides in the effective treatment of substance addiction. Now I’m a clinical liaison and I help the clinicians get what’s best for their patients.

I think we now have a call to re-examine the way we’ve run the field of substance abuse treatment. People are different from each other and they need to be treated differently. There should be no set length of stay in a treatment center, or one program that is supposed to fit all. Police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers face their own set of troubles when dealing with addiction, and they need to be connected with treatment facilities that will give them the specialized treatment they need to get sober.

We need to get the word out there that many people are mistreated in the system, and by making sure everyone involved plays by the rules, we will be looking out for our patients that are so in need of help.

Many in the recovery community claim to be “Clean and Sober” But, what exactly does this mean? Clean refers to living without using drugs. Sober is used in the same context. However, the definition of “Sober,” also reveals a path, and a desired character. A path, and character, prescribed and modeled, by the founders of the 12 Step Fellowships. A path, and character, prescribed for spiritual living. Let us begin with the basics. Following is the dictionary definition for “Sober:”
1. Habitually abstemious in the use of alcoholic liquors or drugs; temperate.
2. Not intoxicated or affected by the use of drugs.
3. Plain or subdued: sober attire.
4. Devoid of frivolity, excess, exaggeration, or speculative imagination; straightforward: gave a sober assessment of the situation.
5. Marked by seriousness, gravity, or solemnity of conduct or character. Marked by circumspection and self-restraint.

The first, and second, parts of the above definition are about abstinence. The other three parts describe attributes. The person that displays these attributes is Sober, not just abstinent from chemicals, not just clean. His, or her, Sobriety is manifested in “all their affairs:”This person practices Sobriety, with a capital S.

This Sobriety with a capital S is manifested in the way people live their lives, not in what they say. Sobriety is life lived in the pursuit of simplicity, and “serenity;” a way of life that avoids “excess.” For excess is the way of addiction. Addiction is excess in everything. Excess in using chemicals, and in exaggerated thinking, and behaving. The addict is addicted to extremes, and drama, as much as he, or she, is addicted to a chemical. To incorporate the above described attributes into a Sober character is the antidote for addiction. And, the acquisition of this character is the foundation of recovery. As well as, the goal of any program, or therapy, that seeks to treat addiction.

To counter the addicted character, an addict must be confronted with a person that has developed a Sober character. A person that is capable of modeling what this character is. That is capable of displaying it in daily living. Capable of showing the addict how life can be lived Sober. Modeling for the addict new ways of dealing with the challenges of life from a Sober perspective.

Then, by observation, and practice, an addict begins to substitute old patterns of thinking, and behavior. Through exposure to a Sober character, they can begin to live “as if” they had this character. By ‘faking it, till they make it,” they get a sense of what Sober life is. When their new behaviors begin to yield responses that reinforce them, they become incorporated into a new pattern of dealing with life. Through this process, a new character is formed.

In the process of this new character formation, the presence of a Sober sponsor, mentor, or therapist is fundamental; the presence of a person that personifies Sobriety. If the sponsor, mentor, or therapist has not internalized, and manifest the attributes of Sobriety, all that the addict is exposed to is another role to play: The role of “recovering person.” Because addicts are adept at role playing, the modeling of a person who is clean, but not truly Sober, will invite the addict to create yet another persona, or mask. Recovery becomes a new way to act, speak, and relate to others, without true change, without authenticity.

Many in the recovering world have adopted the persona of a recovering addict. A person can become “clean,” if this is the price that he, or she, pays for sustaining new friendships, lovers, work, or status. For, they now belong to a community where respect, admiration, business opportunities, and popularity are founded on “clean time.” However; such a person is clean, not Sober. This kind of recovery is dangerous. It is dangerous to those who practice it, and for those who are seeking recovery.

A person with “clean time,” regardless of character development, is in a position to be a sponsor, a therapist, or even to run a treatment center. They can be in a position to dictate the process of addiction treatment. They can place themselves in a position of authority. They can be in a position of power. They can be in a position to do harm.

For, without the grounding influence of a Sober character, power, money, and status, become tools of the ego. They become tools for exploitation. They become means that allow the clean, but non-Sober addict to indulge in their addictive character traits. Under the guise of recovery, and “helping,” a clean, but non-Sober person can indulge in drama, chaos, blaming, and self-righteousness. They can exercise control over the lives of others, for self-gratification. They continue to act from the basis of their “defects of character,” even if they are not using chemicals. They harm themselves, and others.

The goal of the 12 Step programs, therapy, and all interventions of addiction treatment, is to “remove” these “defects of character;” not to find a new way to manifest them under the disguise of being “clean.” According to the founders of the 12 Step programs, in order to remove these defects of character, a person must engage in a spiritual path, seek a “spiritual solution.” A spiritual solution that is ancient, and Universal. A spiritual solution that has been taught by every spiritual master in history. This solution is to become free from the “bondage of self.”

What is this “bondage of self?” It is the bondage of a flawed self that the addict has constructed through the process of his, or, her life. Once this self became chronic, the addict constructed a character to protect it, to defend it. But, this self, and character are false. They were constructed as protections, and maladaptive strategies for survival. They cover up the true Self: the Self that was created by a Higher Power. So, every true spiritual path seeks the return to this true Self. Every true spiritual path offers a way, a method, and a program, to return to true living; to return to living life on “life’s terms,” to live Sober.

For, in Sobriety, life is again experienced, as it is. When the false self no longer rules a person, its demands for power, money, status, reputation, excess, drama, etc. no longer rule that person’s thoughts and actions. As a result, the person becomes free. The person is free to enjoy simplicity. Free to recognize the mystical of the everyday. And, through this recognition, a free person can find joy, pleasure, contentment, and fulfillment in the ordinary. They can again embrace life with the joy of a child at play, not because everything is perfect, but because it is all part of life; and life is good enough in its own terms. This is spiritual living. This is Sobriety.

This Sobriety is hard to attain. It is not easy to live Soberly in a culture that is increasingly hysterical. In a culture that prizes image above substance. We live in a culture of hysterical “personalities.” A culture of dramatic, “reality” television shows, screeching religious leaders, flashy gurus, “spiritual guides,” and shocking, instantaneous, psychotherapies. It is not surprising that the development of a Sober character is not a modern, or popular quest. However; for a recovering addict it is the essential quest. Just as it was for the suffering addicts that found their salvation in it, and prescribed it to future generations; as all spiritual seekers before them had done. In order for many to stay clean, many have to become Sober.

J. E. Lesende

Produced in EAPA Journal September, 2000
Michael Blackburn is a captain and 27-year veteran of the Providence (R.I.) Fire Department , where he serves as acting director of the Division of Training, Certified In drug and alcohol counseling. Blackburn is chairman of the providence firefighters’ EAP, secretary and treasurer of the EAPA Massachusetts Chapter, President of the Rhode Island Labor Assistance Professionals and Vice President of Treatment Solutions Network.

The alarm comes in. Rescue, engine, and ladder trucks go out. Several hours later four eight, or even 12 firefighters are left with possible symptoms of adrenaline overload, horrific visions of burned or mutilated bodies, the sound of a gunshot victim gasping for breath, the guilt of not being able to save an infant, and/or feelings of not having done enough.

Twenty years ago, these firefighters would have been left to their own devices to ease their pain, Often, the local bar was the place to “debrief” Unfortunately, that kind of  self-soothing often led to alcohol or drug addiction, marital problems, financial problems, and other concerns.

Today, firefighters in Local 799 in Providence, R.I., Can get help from the critical Incident Stress Team, which includes members of the fire departments EAP as well as CIS professionals. Team members stand ready to debrief firefighters within hours of the fire. If further assistance is requested, referrals are: made to qualified professionals who understand problems unique to the fire fighting profession.

EAP staff have received advanced training in CIS using the so-called” Mitchell Model,” and we are extremely proud of the CIS component of our EAP. Through the Rhode Island Chapter of Labor Assistance Professionals we extend our services to any local in need of them.

That said, it is important to note that the core services of Local 799’s EAP are (and always have been) alcohol and drug addiction treatment and recovery. Local members know that if they call for help for treating addiction a firefighter in recovery will come to their rescue. After  first making a “reservation.” for the addict, the firefighter will personally pick up the person and take him or her to the treatment facility. The firefighter will reassure the addict’s family members and check on the person periodically while he or she is “away,” The firefighter also handles the addict’s absence from work and is available to him or her (and family members) 24 hours a day, Seven days a week.

In short, the firefighter makes it possible for the addict to focus on treatment, that is the essence of Local 799’s EAP – family taking care of family. But with the onset of managed care, the Drug-Free Workplace Act, and Department of Transportation regulations, our EAP has had to evolve. As a result, most EAP staff have completed the required coursework at the University of Rhode Island’s certification program for drug and alcohol counseling, Some of us also have had SASSI and ASAM training as well as workshops and courses on ethics, crisis intervention with drug abusers, the12 tore functions of the substance abuse counselor, and HIV/AIDS.

Because 30-day treatment stays are no longer the norm, we as EAP Professionals have had to become better educated to create a level playing field with Managed Care, Our team members can now speak the same language as the “gatekeepers”-DSM-IV presenting problems, dual diagnoses, and so on-and thus can help ensure that our brothers and sisters get the treatment, to which they are entitled.

Firelighters and their families experience personal problems common to all walks of life. With its broad-brush approach, Our EAP addresses issues related not only to alcohol and drug dependency but also to family life, personal finances, gambling, workplace stress, and other concerns. Offering these types of assistance necessitated the development of a referral list of reputable professionals-psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers,etc. ,- willing and able to respond quickly to our members needs.

We at local 799 were at the forefront in Rhode Island in forming our Labor Assistance Professionals chapter. Through our chapter, we have developed excellent working relationships with several treatment facilities, we’ve established a network of providers that understand issues and problems that are unique not only to firefighting but to organized labor as well.

Following the lead of the New York and Boston LAP chapters, we have forged a bond with Brown University and the University of Rhode Island to assist our chapter with continuing education Some  of the therapists, doctors, and treatment facilities we use offer seminars to our chapter members. Providence Fire Department EAP professionals regularly attend these seminars and are active in the EAPA Massachusetts Chapter.

The Providence Fire Department and Local 799 realize that their most important resources are their members. The chief of the department, James Rattigan, and the president of local 799, George Farrell, arc both very supportive of the EAP. We have language in our collective bargaining agreement identifying stress as a line of-duty injury and contractual provisions that provide time off for EAP staff to attend professional conferences and seminars.

Our EAP was designed to provide union members, retirees, family members, and widows with dignified, confidential,  and professional assistance without  jeopardizing job security or promotional opportunities. That is still our mission today. Our team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for immediate, personal responses.