AIMPOINT: Interview Recovery Advocate Matthew Douglas

By Mick Michaels

Today’s fast-paced lifestyle offers many of us opportunities that, at one time, were not available. Social interactions have taken on a global definition and instantaneous gratification is so commonplace, that to wait, even a moment, seems prehistoric.  Although this modern day existence offers its share of excitement and universal connection through technology and social media platforms, for some, it poses an even greater challenge to digest, process and be a part of. Often, these challenges lead individuals to explore alternatives measures for coping and surviving; some leading to destructive habits and life-threatening choices.

In this edition of AIMPOINT, we talk with Recovery Advocate and Sponsor, Matthew Douglas on the pitfalls of such destructive habits and choices and ways in which both the individual and society can be part of the solution. 

AIMPOINT: Hello, Matthew! Welcome to AIMPOINT. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it is greatly appreciated.

AP: How would you define addiction?
Matthew Douglas: I would define addiction as a hopeless state of body and mind where the sufferer struggles with thoughts and feelings that lead them to seek some comfort out of mind altering substances.  It’s complicated in that it is mental and physical, it is an obsession of the mind for relief and an inability to stop physically once the substance is in the body of the addict. 

AP: At the core, do you see all forms of addiction as being similar in nature or are there distinctions? Inevitably, regardless, so they all have the same end effects?
MD: Addiction and alcoholism can be characterized as similar in one specific aspect, that the afflicted individual is powerless over their ability to stop once the substance, which can differ, is inside their body.  People with addiction have different personalities and can use different substances or become addicted to different activities, i.e. gambling, sex or pornography, etc.  It’s complicated but at its root, the sufferer struggles with feelings and thoughts that lead to addictive outlets which eventually leads to unmanageability in other areas of their life such as work, family/home and relationships. 

AP: Matthew, are some individuals more susceptible to addiction than others...or are we all candidates for such infliction?
MD: Yes absolutely…addiction, much like other mental health issues, can affect those genetically predisposed to it.  Often times children of alcoholics will become alcoholic or addicted.  Much like other mental health issues, environmental issues can play a part.  For example, someone who grows up being mentally or physically abused could suffer from generalized anxiety disorder or depression later in life without the genetic component.  That same person may become an addict as well by turning to drugs and alcohol as a source of ease and comfort. 

AP: Based on your experience, what do you see as a leading cause for addiction? Is it a symptom of genetics like some have claimed, or more of a byproduct of a greater societal issue, that as a whole, we are not addressing?
MD: It’s both in my opinion.  I am not a Clinician, I am simply someone in recovery and I try to help others in recovery, so I am by no means an expert here, but I would say addiction, at its root, has a genetic and environmental component.
  

AP: Is it community's responsibility? Can community play a bigger role in helping individuals avoiding and overcoming addiction? If so, what could some of those things be?
MD: This is a great question and I do believe the community can play a huge impact.  Firstly, by overcoming the stigma that comes along with addiction.  While bad behaviors and criminal offenses go hand in hand with addiction, the sufferer is ultimately human and redeemable…and I believe addiction should be treated more as a public health issue and less like a criminal justice issue.   Look to Portugal for the model on treating addiction.  Years ago they decriminalized drugs and funneled the money used to lock addicts up in prison into reform, inpatient treatment and reentry into society and their addiction rates have dropped significantly.  The war on drugs in the US has failed and overcrowded our prison population in my opinion. 

AP: With addiction coming in so many forms, are there certain signs people can make themselves and others aware of to begin to identify such situations or tendencies early on, that would assist them in avoiding such possible pitfalls or seeking help?
MD: The sufferer of addiction often times suffers with feelings long before the introduction of drugs such as loneliness, restlessness, irritability and discontentment. Once alcohol or drugs are experimented with, which most youth get into at some point, the addict gets addicted to the effect the substance has on their brain.   Unfortunately, as was the case with me, it wasn’t until I was in so much pain as a result of the way my life had become did I become willing to give up using and drinking and try something different.  The reason being is you were asking me to give up something that brought me relief…drugs and alcohol were my solution for life.  Try asking anyone to give something up that they believe improves their quality of life and outlook.   I knew about the dangers of drugs and I knew alcoholism ran in my family but it still didn’t stop me.  All teenagers think they are invincible and the bad things in life will never happen to them. A compassionate response to the afflicted and a good education on the matter when they are young will help though.  

AP: Matthew, you have been on a personal mission to help others.  Your efforts include sponsoring people as a one-on-one mentor as well as opening the doors to the Sunlight of the Spirit House, where you provide a recovery sanctuary for individuals who are overcoming their own addictions. What let you to take on such a personal crusade?

MD: Thank you for saying that, I am humbled to be in such a position today because I remember the calamity of waking up and needing something immediately to feel better and how unmanageable my life had become.   Simply put, I am an old school 12 step guy, my sponsor and countless others were there for me when I felt utterly hopeless and lost in such a deep depression that there was no light at the end of this tunnel.  My 12^th step tells me it is my responsibility to help those trying to stay sober today.  I was given a solution and it would be very selfish not to give that to others.   Once you got through something trying or painful you usually have empathy and compassion for those struggling with it too.  Compassion is one of the beautiful things that come out of human pain and suffering.  I know what Day 1 in recovery feels like so I want to reach back and convey that recovery and relief from that hopeless state of body and mind is absolutely possible. 

AP: Tell us more about the Sunlight of the Spirit House? What is the mission?
MD: Our mission is to provide sober living homes with the highest standards of care, to help set a foundation of development for purposeful long term sobriety for those in the suburbs of Philadelphia Pennsylvania. We run a 12 step based house where we require each resident to work their steps with a sponsor and attendance to meetings is required and monitored.  Our residents also work full time, get back into the community and learn life skills like keeping the house clean and cooking dinner.

AP: What have you seen as your greatest success story?
MD: One specific is hard to say but I personally have been in recovery for 11 ½ years and I now have sponsees who have multiple years of sobriety, who have earned Bachelor degrees from local Universities, who own homes now and have their own families.   To see people recover and get back into life is incredible.  We see it all the time in the recovery community but we all belong to anonymous programs, so it’s not advertised in media.  What people see are horrible things like the opiate epidemic going on and thousands of people dying, the success stories go mostly unnoticed but in this community we see people recover every day.

AP: For those who are dealing with overcoming addiction, what have you seen as some essential mindsets or practices that have proven to be successful?
MD: You can’t do it alone, get a sponsor and my personal recommendation is to work the 12 steps to bring about the essential psychic change needed to overcome the obsession of the mind.   Hit meetings and get involved in the recovery community.  Those suffering with this need to know they are not alone, we are many and we do recover, together.
    

AP: Matthew, as a sponsor, what are some of the techniques you employ when you are working with someone who is battling to overcome addiction? 
MD: I take guys I sponsor through the 12 steps, I believe that is the job of the sponsor.  I encourage them to get into service as well, go to meeting early and help set up or make the coffee for everyone.  At the end of the day the newcomer has to learn to live less selfishly and must start thinking about other people.  The steps take us to that place but you can start with little kind acts like setting up for a meeting right away. 

AP: Can someone make this journey alone or is a support network an essential factor?
MD: Much like life, success is about surrounding yourself with good people.  Recovery is no different, we need each other to be successful and the newcomer needs someone with a solution working in their life to introduce it to them.

AP: What would you tell someone you knows a friend or love one who is dealing with addiction?
MD: I would first and foremost give my condolences, the loved ones of the afflicted are truly victims in this thing.  That’s why there are Alanon meetings and other support groups for the families of addicts.   I would encourage them to find their own support group and to not give up hope for their loved one.   Tough love is the best practice they can do for their addicted family member.  Do not co-sign or enable any of their behaviors.  Feeling the loss of family often times is the last loss an addict will feel that gives them the motivation to try a 12 step program.    They can let their family member know that if they get sober, they are there for them 100%...but until then, you’re not okay with the way they are living.   There is a solution to this, what the addict needs to find on their own is the willingness to try it. 

AP: What would be the one thing you would say to someone who is struggling with addiction?
MD: There is a way out of this life, I promise you.  At one point drugs and or alcohol might have worked like magic and been an instant fix for you, but if you are in that realm of unmanageability, where life is becoming too difficult to bear, high or sober, then the fun is over.  The solution lies in changing our beliefs and attitude towards life.   It is accessible to all who are willing and I promise at the end of it is the freedom from that bondage to drugs and alcohol.   Peace of mind without substances is there for you, please find a sponsor to take you through the steps and keep an open mind throughout the entire process.

AP: What is the first step in overcoming addiction?
MD: Surrendering to it, admitting that you are one and asking for help. 

AP: Thank you again Matthew for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Check out Matthew and the Sunlight of the Spirit House at:
Official: http://www.sunlightofthespirithouse.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sunlight-of-the-Spirit-House/1597505827150945





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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word.  Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.

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