“No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.”
Kahlil Gibran
Alcohol addiction is a devastating disease that can destroy the lives of alcoholics and the people who love them — as well as have a negative effect on society, in general. Many people believe that alcoholics are people of weak moral character who could stop drinking if they just had a little more willpower. However, there is much research indicating that addiction is a brain disorder, and some believe there is a genetic link.
Pete Healey, MSW, has been a substance abuse counselor for many years and is the owner of Serenity Recovery Services in Fenton. He was a substance abuse counselor at Brighton Hospital for ten years before opening his own practice in 2012. There, he offers substance abuse counseling, and individual and family counseling. It is his belief that addiction is a disease, that there is a body-mind-spirit connection, and that individuals have the capacity to heal in all of those areas.
“Using alcohol changes the pathways in the brain. We can undo that and make new pathways with the positive experiences we learn during the recovery process.”
Pete has first-hand knowledge of the disease of alcoholism because he battled his own alcohol addiction for many years. “It was my own recovery that brought me my career,” he shares. Born to Irish immigrants, Pete was raised in Manchester, England in a culture that endorsed excessive drinking. He battled the disease throughout his teens and early adulthood, traveling all over Europe and ultimately ended up on living on the streets of Paris and Rome. He spent years in and out of 12-step programs until one day, he heard someone at a meeting say something that changed his life. “My mind was open to hearing and understanding how powerless I was,” he says. “God revealed to me the I had to stop fighting the problem. I began to embrace the solution.” At age 32, he took his last drink on September 9, 1994.
As research indicates, Pete also views addiction as a brain disease. “In the last 20 years, science has made significant progress in understanding the addictive process,” he reports. “Using alcohol changes the pathways in the brain. We can undo that and make new pathways with the positive experiences we learn during the recovery process.”
In a 12-step program, a person learns to “clean up the wreckage of their past” and that the core of the disease of alcoholism is self-centeredness. “We learn to change self-centeredness to serving others,” he shares. “We learn to connect with God and the human race. As you begin to do this, the pathways that connect to the brain become more malleable. New experiences then become the driving force for why we do what we do.”
As far as believing if there is a genetic link to the disease of alcoholism, Pete says, “Yes and no.” “Yes, I believe that genetics does play a role and that some people have a predisposition for addiction. But I also believe it is not a given that someone predisposed will or will not drink. Emotional and psychological issues play into that.”
In recovery, coming outside of one’s self is a key to success. “The sense of self needs to expand beyond self,” he shares, “and we have to realize that self-centeredness is the root of our trouble.”
There is currently a lot of excitement surrounding the concept of understanding addiction. “There is a real friendship developing between science and spirituality,” he says. “They both seem to be saying the same thing and are on the same page.”
There are different options available for treatment of alcoholism. “It’s different for everybody,” says the counselor. “It is very important to get medical support in coming off your drug of choice. Detoxification from alcohol or any drug on your own can be dangerous, as it can trigger seizures.” He also says treatment centers have a very important role to play and are a very viable springboard in the recovery process. Medical treatment is just the beginning, however. “It is so important to find a support group,” he adds. “A 12-step support group helps alcoholics recover the integrity of self and puts them in touch with the much deeper part of who they are.”
In his private practice, Pete is an outpatient therapist who helps his clients deal with the emotional and psychological aspects of the disease. “It’s all talk therapy,” he says. “I try to bring someone to the threshold of their own understanding — awaken what they already have inside of them.” And, for Pete, it’s a very satisfying career path. “In the role that I play, I feel I can be a positive influence in the world of addiction. People walk in here broken and lost and eventually, they become very functional, successful members of the community at large. I just play a small part in that.”
