Center for Addiction Treatment

Wesley Baas, Summer 2012

Before my internship at the Center for Addiction Treatment (CCAT) I thought that I knew more than most people about addiction. Addiction medicine has always been an interest of mine because I have two grandparents who are alcoholics, and though they have been sober my entire lifetime; I was still involved in their recovery growing up. After only one week at CCAT, I quickly learned that I did not know as much about addiction as I had thought. Addiction is incredibly complex, and I spent a great deal of my summer trying to wrap my head around the intricacies of the disease. Notice that I say "disease". Addiction is truly a disease; it is not a moral issue. This is something that is stressed extensively at CCAT. I got to witness firsthand the genetic component of addictions as I took the histories of many patients. It was not uncommon at all to find a family history of drug and/or alcohol abuse reaching for generations, and that is something I will never forget.

One of the most eye-opening experiences for me happened during my first week of the internship. During my first few days, when few of the staff knew me, I went through the entire admissions process as any new incoming patient would. I called and made an appointment for medically monitored detoxification. I was given an appointment, at which I was searched and placed in the male detox unit after completing an extensive history. I spent two days in detox as a patient, doing everything the patients did, including eating meals, socializing, and going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Even though I knew I was not truly detoxing, I still had a great deal of anxiety as I walked through the doors of CCAT as a patient seeking treatment. I began to see addiction through the eyes of the patient, and I can now better understand their stress about seeking treatment. I cannot imagine the courage it takes for the patients to accept that they have a problem and to come forward for treatment.

As I spent time in the various aspects of treatment at CCAT I came to the realization that addiction is an all-encompassing disease that does not make exceptions for gender, race, or socioeconomic status. The misperception that addiction is a disease of the less fortunate may play into the reason that 94% of primary care physicians miss the diagnosis of substance abuse. After spending my summer at CCAT, I hope that I will not only not be part of that 94%, but also that I can help educate those around me about the significance of substance abuse in our society and its impact on the lives of so many people. Working in the field of addiction was an amazing experience, with rewards that I have not felt in any other section of medicine, and I hope that the lessons I have learned this summer will stick with me for the rest of my career as a physician.