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Outpatient Rehab In Santa Clarita Discusses ‘The Changing Face’ Of Addiction

Experts from an outpatient rehab in Santa Clarita are discussing what they’re calling “the changing face” of addiction.


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Bob Sharits, program director at The Way Out Recovery SCV, invited Primary Counselor Michelle Field to the latest “The Way Out Recovery Hour” on KHTS to share her story. 

“Michelle is really more commonly what we’re seeing in the new changing face of addiction: a mom, a wife — not a troubled teen, not a gang member, not a whatever we used to label drug addiction as,” Sharits said. “Michelle is going to tell us her story.”

Related: The Way Out Recovery Rehab In Santa Clarita: What Happens After Reaching Out For Help

Field noted that growing up, her “image” of a drug addict was “the person who was walking on the streets barefoot who had mental illness and drug and alcohol problems.” 

However, at 7 years old, Field was being the “parent” to her mom, who was addicted to alcohol and valium, and her dad, who was an abusive alcoholic. 

“It was just a chaotic mess,” she recalled. “I just had to be the person that (my mom) would throw the wine bottle at and say, ‘I couldn’t get it open,’ or, ‘I can’t get my pills open,’ and she would even give me Valium when I had ear infections to get me to go to sleep.” 

Sharits noted that the saying of the day was something along the lines of “a better world through chemistry,” when doctors would pass out prescription medication “like candy” with a viewpoint that it was a “miracle drug” for a variety of ailments. 

It was this mentality that may have led to the state of the prescription drug problem today, according to Sharits, who added that anti-anxiety medications like Valium are commonly used as an alternative to other methods of coping. 

“Before that, when I felt a little anxious, I had to use some sort of tools to not feel so anxious anymore,” Sharits said. “So I had to get out and exercise, or I had to talk about my problems, or I had to resolve the issues that I’m anxious about. And then along comes this thing where I don’t have to do any of that stuff, just take a pill.” 

Getting back to Field’s story, she continued that she felt like she was living two separate lives in public and in private. 

“You have to go to school and act like the perfect kid and everything’s good,” she said. “It was all about image in my house. We had to appear like the perfect family… And then I would go home and my mom would be crying and drunk and calling people on the phone, and the police would be there. Police knew us by name. It was just two worlds that we had.” 

This common experience relates to the word “stigma” often associated with drug and alcohol issues, Sharits noted, explaining it as an “image of something that is bad, and so we try to steer away from it and not talk about it.” 

While the stigma is less today than when Field was a child, it continues to be “one of the biggest obstacles” for treatment, according to Sharits. 

“I thought rehab was jail,” Field recalled. “Growing up, there was no place for kids to talk. No one talked, they just kept their secrets inside. There was nobody to talk to, and I think that stemmed a lot of my problems, and why I love working with teens today, to give them a safe place to talk about what’s going on.”

To listen to Sharits and Field continue their conversation, click here for the full podcast or watch the YouTube video above. 

Ed. Note: This article is a KHTS Community Spotlight based on a recent radio interview with The Way Out Recovery Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita.

In Santa Clarita, drug issues are a major concern for many. The mission of The Way Out Recovery Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita is to provide high quality, effective alcohol and drug rehab outpatient services to the Santa Clarita Valley. The Santa Clarita rehab’s goal is to assist adolescents, adults and their loved ones in becoming happily and usefully whole, free from drug addiction. Those seeking alcohol and drug treatment in Santa Clarita, a drug rehab in Santa Clarita, a teen drug rehab or simply a “rehab near me” can rest assured that The Way Out Recovery SCV’s philosophy is to teach life-long coping skills and strategies to assist in improving quality of life and living happily and meaningfully without the need of destructive behaviors.

28118 Bouquet Canyon Road
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
(661) 296-4444

The Way Out Recovery SCV – Santa Clarita

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O4MDqsoNgY

The Way Out Recovery SCV, Drug Rehab in Santa Clarita, Alcohol and Drug Treatment in Santa Clarita, Santa Clarita Drug Issues, Teen Drug Rehab, Santa Clarita Rehab, Outpatient Rehab in Santa Clarita, Rehab in Santa Clarita, Rehab Near Me

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Outpatient Rehab In Santa Clarita Discusses ‘The Changing Face’ Of Addiction

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