Addiction is Not a Moral Failing

February, 2016.  I’m in a bus in the jungles of Mexico on my way to Mayan ruins in Bonampak.  I’m sitting next to a delightful woman who has lived an adventurous exciting life.  She has been scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands and other exotic locations.  It’s clear she lives a life filled with joy.  She is connected to her family and has friends all over the world.  Her energy is infectious and I know we are going to be friends for a long time after this.  She asks me what I do for a living, and I explain that I work at AToN Center.  She gives the biggest smile and pulls out a 25 year an AA chip with “25 years” stamped on it.

My new friend is a perfect example of how there IS life after rehab and it can be spectacular!  I asked her what the most helpful thing she learned in treatment and her response has stayed with me:  “When I learned that I wasn’t a bad person, that this wasn’t a moral failing – that I needed to treat this like a medical condition, something changed.  I realized that heart disease and diabetes aren’t moral failings and I needn’t embrace the stigma that addiction carries.”

Here at AToN Center we want you to know that there IS a wonderful life ahead of you in recovery and hope you can take this example of a type of future that can await you!

Cassandra Cannon, Ph.D.
Clinical Director
AToN Center 888-535-1516