‘Drug, alcohol dependents are often misunderstood’

"Drug or alcohol dependents belong to one of the most misunderstood sectors in society."

Val de Clarin, 33, an addiction counselor at the Well-Spring Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center in Quezon City said this with a mixture of sadness and anger in his voice.

Having worked with the Well-Spring Center since it opened four years ago, it is understandable why De Clarin seems protective of them. He has seen drug and alcohol dependents, as well as others with various kinds of addiction, completely wasted and destroyed – successfully regain their lives after rehabilitation.

This is also enough reason why De Clarin along with the Center’s 30 staff members spend Christmas and New Year not with their own families but with the residents and their families. "It’s the ultimate sacrifice," he told The STAR in an interview a few days before Christmas.

The Well-Spring Rehabilitation Center is located at No. 6 Maalalahanin St., Teacher’s Village, Diliman, Quezon City with telephone numbers 9205993, 9271317 or 9210125.

Members of this misunderstood sector are often seen as criminals and eyesores of society, and in their own families, the black sheep, De Clarin averred. And it sure does not help that media tend to sensationalize news involving drug addicts or alcoholics.

It is true that many crimes involve drug dependents, he says, but what people fail to understand is that drug dependents react to a situation without thinking of the consequences of their actions. "They do not have control over their selves although they are aware of what is happening around them. They cannot even control their own lives," De Clarin said.

Such is a social stigma that 21-year-old Odek and his family are well aware of. When he was enrolled at Well-Spring early this year, relatives and neighbors who wondered about his absence were told that Odek had entered the seminary in the Visayas.

"Iba kasi ang tingin nila sa addict (They look at addicts differently)," Odek, the youngest child in a brood of three, said.

He was studying architecture when introduced to drugs by a female friend and was hooked for nearly two years. During that time, Odek snitched money from his parents, both government employees, to buy drugs. He also shot dead a drug friend over shabu. And once, completely stoned, ran over an unidentified man in Antipolo City "just for the heck of it."

(While no criminal complaints have been filed against Odek, De Clarin said Well-Spring counselors accompany residents facing criminal charges to hearings and so far, none among their wards have been convicted. "Malaking bagay ang rehab. Our progress reports on the resident-accused helps the judge make a decision," De Clarin said.)

Odek’s litany of sins just went on. But the burly young man with boyish good looks sounded most regretful when he talked about last Christmas. "Minura ko noon ang Mommy ko. They confronted me about my drug habit and I denied it. I spent Christmas Eve with my junkie friends."

Now halfway through the 18-month rehabilitation program, Odek is spending Christmas Day at home with his family. He is looking forward to finishing the program and spending more quality time with his parents and brothers.

Odek, once the boy with the "king baby" attitude, said he was thankful that his parents had him rehabilitated at Well-Spring, known for its humane treatment of patients. "Hirap na ako. I tried to get away from it but couldn’t do it on my own."

De Clarin said that addiction is a lifetime disease. It recurs. It is already part of one’s system. Thus, family plays an important role in one’s rehabilitation. Even if this family is as pained as the addict.

At Well-Spring, families are encouraged to go through the same process of therapy as their residents, De Clarin said. "At therapy sessions, they also unload their hurts and learn how not to control (the patient)."

Residents still in primary confinement spent Christmas Eve with their families at Well-Spring. They serenaded their parents and siblings with the signature tearjerker "Pasko na Sinta Ko."

"Most of them have this fear that their families might not accept them anymore," De Clarin, who taught them the song, explained the choice of the ballad.

Today, Odek talks about regret and turning over a new leaf. He talks about humility, honesty, and acceptance. He said that he follows the rehab’s 12-Step program not only in terms of detoxifying himself but also in all aspects of his life. Most important to him is the third step: to surrender to a higher power all his problems. "Whatever comes my way, I know it is God’s will," Odek said.

The final step in a rehabilitation process, De Clarin said, is the rehabilitated addict’s adjustments to society and family, his being again productive in society, and living life as a normal citizen.

The Christmas gathering at Well-Spring continues today. And indeed, it is a celebration that manifests the season’s message of peace, hope, and unconditional love.