Karen Pollard LpcIf Judy Only Knew...
The 12 Steps of Surviving the Wicked Witch of Addiction
Throughout my lifetime, I have personally witnessed the harrowing realities of addiction, alcoholism, and numerous co-occurring mental health disorders affecting those I cherish. I am acutely acquainted with the intricate interplay of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, and a myriad of other psychological afflictions that are inextricably linked with substance use. Life is a battlefield. This is especially true when the conflict rages within one's own mind, and your most formidable adversary is yourself. So let me start by introducing myself. My name is Karen. I am a retired Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I devoted my life to specializing in Substance Use Disorder treatment. My grandfather was that full-blown alcoholic sitting on the street, hugging a bottle of booze. He had nothing but 13 cents and a picture of my younger sister in his pocket on the day he died. His son, my father, whom my mother divorced when I was 6, had his own struggles with mental health and substance use. I would have to write a second book just to document all the people I knew and loved over the years who lived with addiction and alcoholism. And sadly, a third book would need to be written, devoted to all the ones who lost their lives to it. I wanted to rescue them all. So like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the beloved Cowardly Lion, I was off to see the Wizard. My life has been spent walking for decades on what I like to call a path of Yellow Bricks. Each step I took on that path brought learning, wisdom, and understanding. I came to meet many Wizards, or should I say wise people, who challenged me to get stronger, smarter, and to hold my own against Wicked Witches. I never had to retrieve a broom, but I did have to retrieve myself from many difficult, trying, scary, and overwhelming experiences of life. With the wisdom I gained (from my Scarecrows), the passion and purpose I found for my life (through my Tin Men), and the courage to change and move forward even when I didn't want to at times (inspired by my Cowardly Lions), I eventually found the place I knew was home. I found my home in serving as a licensed therapist helping people overcome their addictions, alcoholism, and the many mental health challenges that come with those. And like Dorothy, I really never traveled that Yellow Brick Path alone. I had God, or should I say my Higher Power that Dorothy would have recognized as the Good Witch. I was always reminded of the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 to give my patients in recovery.... "a hope and a future." There are many who do not make it onto the path of recovery; theirs is a life told of hope lost and futures perished. They never got to walk the path to freedom from a wicked witch of addiction. They never made it home again. If they only knew the path to freedom from addiction was along those Yellow Bricks!
