Digger's True Story of Alcoholism, Addiction & Recovery- Bluffplantation

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Digger's True Story of Alcoholism, Addiction
Recovery
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The Early Years And Beyond
Now in his 30s

• Now in his 30s, Digger got an early start with
  drugs and alcohol. He was using both by the time
  he turned 12. He got into trouble in high school
  and wound up in a youth prison. It brought me a
  lot of pain, he says. It caused me to use
  more.

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• Fast-forward a few years. He met a beautiful
  woman who would become his wife. That experience
  straightened me up for a few years, he relates.
  We opened a business in California. A clothing
  store, and life for Digger seemed to be turning
  around. But eventually the stresses of family
  life, plus the challenges and responsibilities of
  running a business, were too much for him. He
  turned to the source of comfort he had always
  relied on he started using drugs and alcohol
  again.

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• I was crying out for help in lots of different
  ways, mostly nonverbal, Digger says. His family
  heard him and responded. His mother called the
  staff of Intervention, a reality-based cable TV
  show that dramatizes families in crisis. My
  mother, stepfather, my dad, my children, they
  were all there, he said. He remembers feeling
  cornered and tricked at the time. But the
  intervention produced a positive turn for Digger
  He was given a chance to start treatment at Bluff
  Plantation.

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The Road To Recovery

• I didnt expect that level of care, that level
  of sincerity, Digger says. They truly want to
  help. One of the things he noticed about the
  staff was their level of personal experience with
  addiction. A former addict can help another
  addict more than someone who just has book smarts
  because they understand, he observes.

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• He likes the fact that the staff challenges him
  and holds him accountable. They mean business
  and want to help. If they see addictive behavior,
  theyll call you on it. Speaking with the clear
  voice of experience, Digger adds that addicts
  are great manipulators. Theyll manipulate
  anybody.

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• He really likes the creature comforts at Bluff
  Plantation. The physical property is beautiful,
  it makes you more comfortable, he says, adding
  some perspective. People feel like theyre on
  vacation. But this isnt a vacation. Treatment is
  not supposed to be fun or comfortable, its
  supposed to be painful. Thats the process.

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• He also likes the food The cooks are 5-star
  chefs, its better than most restaurants you go
  to. He also learned how diet modification can
  help in recovery from addiction. They remove
  most of the sugars, he explains. The diet were
  on boosts your dopamine, a brain chemical that
  helps people regulate emotion and behavior. He
  notes that his addiction had been depleting his
  bodys normal dopamine level for 20 years. After
  30 days at Bluff Plantation, he says I havent
  laughed like I do now in all those years put
  together.

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The Difference At Bluff Plantation

• Digger has been in rehab before, but Bluff
  Plantation has been different. I expected it to
  be like the place I was at before, he remembers.
  I didnt learn much there. Ive learned more
  here in the first two weeks than the whole time I
  was at the previous rehab program.

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Among the things he has learned at Bluff
Plantation

• Patience Addicts are not patient. We want
  everything now. Its not fun, but you have work
  on yourself.Listening We dont like to
  listen. You have to learn to not be in control.
  Thats a big thing right there.Self-love
  Ive learned I can be a leader, that Im a good
  guy. I didnt think I was a good person because I
  was so focused on the past. A lot of it is
  learning to love yourself all over
  again.Consequences Thats a big one. My
  children, my mother, have all forgiven me. Thats
  something Im still processing.

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• Digger urges addicts considering any recovery
  program to do it for the right reasons A lot of
  people go into treatment for their kids, or their
  marriage. You gotta do it for yourself. I firmly
  believe in that. Its definitely a lifesaver
  though. I wouldnt be alive if I wasnt here
  today.