The Age of Addiction. The Time to Help.

By:  Stephanie Benney

What are you addicted to?  I bet that got your attention.  By definition, an addiction is the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming.  Addictions come in all forms, shapes and sizes.  Some of us are addicted to a person, buying Jimmy Choo shoes, gambling, tanning, or eating.  Then there is the ever-present substance abuse addiction.

This issue seems to become more and more prevalent in this day of age, where people are under more stresses, pressures and anxieties than they ever have been in history.  We deal with walking in the door of our office, wondering if we have secured yet another pay period.  We put our children on a school bus and send them off to a place where we trust they will be safe from the 9 year old who packed his Daddy’s pistol in his backpack, instead of a baseball glove and ball.  We cringe with outrage at the escalating gasoline and grocery prices and take more out of our wallets to put less on the dinner table.  Most recently, we wonder what the repercussions of killing a face of a terrorism will bring.  Are we safe to board that plane?  Drink that water?  Breathe the air?  Is it any wonder that people fall victim to alcohol, cocaine or painkillers looking for escape from it all?

So, what happens when the addict hits rock bottom?  This is the moment of clarity – when they realize they have to make a decision.  I spoke with a counselor from the Alpha House of Pittsburgh last week after receiving information regarding the Highmark  “Walk For A Healthy Community”.  I learned that the Alpha House treats the “whole person”.  It is not a “cookie cutter”  method of rehabilitation.  While in recovery at the Alpha House, the addict will go through 4 levels of treatment, each with various activities designed for the addict to work towards changing existing negative and destructive behaviors.   After the 4 levels of treatment have been completed, the Alpha House assists the addict in furthering their education, finding work and developing a long-term recovery plan in order to achieve continued sobriety.

The state of Pennsylvania is always threatening cutbacks of funds for rehabilitation centers, such as the Alpha House.  It important to remember that we are all in this together and we need to help one another in order to rebuild a stronger society to deal with all of our personal and global stresses in a healthy way.

There are many ways to get involved and help with the restructuring and metamorphosis of these people.  The Alpha House accepts monetary donations and works with United Way.  Find out if your company participates in the United Way campaign and you can have just a few dollars a week taken out of your paycheck.  If you would like to make a contribution online, please go to www.unitedwaypittsburgh.org and select the Alpha House, by entering the agency code 356.  If you cannot donate monetarily, the Alpha House has a wish list for items needed such as:  bed linens, alarm clocks,  kitchen utensils, and cleaning supplies.  They also accept gift cards, if you do not wish to purchase anything.   Why not join Highmark and the Alpha House for the “Walk For A Healthy Community” on Saturday, May 21st, 2011?  For more information or to register, visit www.walkforahealthycommunity.org and select the Alpha House.

Addiction hits closer to home than many of us realize.  Addiction does not just wear the face of the “crackhead” you ignore standing on the corner of “Hell and Help Me”.  It wears the face of our sisters, mothers, girlfriends and daughters.  Reach out to help make a difference.

Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com