Center for Addiction Treatment

Joel Facer, Summer 2020

Working at the Center for Addiction Treatment challenged my notion of what addiction looks like. Patients here came from myriad backgrounds and represented numerous demographic groups. While there were certainly common elements to many of their stories, each faced unique challenges and had unique reasons to overcome their addiction. I saw myself in many of them, and I saw people I loved in many more.

Conversations about addiction are uncomfortable, and this population is too-often written off by society. But in speaking with these patients, I saw a raw honesty that is difficult to forget, one that I've seen in few other places. This is a population with whom most medical students and young physicians will work at one point or another, whether they realize it at the time or not. I believe it is a worthwhile experience for anyone looking for ways to better understand and serve the community, and I'm incredibly grateful to have been able to learn from the staff and patients at CAT this summer.