Counselor Dave's Bio/Addiction Why Me

Addiction is recognized as a "Disease" by the American Medical Assoc., The American Psychiatric Assoc., and the World Health Org.

BIO: David R Carroll, CADCA, AKA CounselorDave

The Counselor himself spent 25 years of his adult life as a hard core Drug Addict. Having had many significant periods in the grip of different individual Drugs, yet always using more than one. As a child he experimented with 1st Marijuana, 2nd Alcohol, and finally Tobacco. The most likely reason that he did not develop a true Addiction as a child was his participation as a Varsity Wrestler, in High School. In a brief period after High School and before entering the Navy (actually thinking he would get away from drugs) in 1967, he began daily use of the drugs he had started with and additionally adding Amphetamines to the mix!

By the time that he came home from the service he had then used Hashish, LSD, Heroin and Cocaine and was a daily user in full-blown Addiction. Dave developed into a hard core Addict, though a (quote) functional (unquote) one, over the next 20 years. Very few people identified the lost jobs and divorces as resulting from Dave's Drug Addiction because, as many Addicts do, he learned to hide his problem. As a certified pipe-welder his income helped in being able to do so. Eventually he lost everything, even selling one house for a $20,000 profit, giving all of that to his Drug connections, and then having to sleep on a friends sofa for nearly a year. He was back and forth from homeless to sleazy hotels, selling drugs and committing other crimes, in and out of jails from 1990 to 1995.

On January 21, 1995 he was arrested for the last time… with just about 2 weeks in jail, at rock bottom, and losing the will to live, Dave had a Radical Spiritual Experience while praying for help one night! With a three year prison term hanging of him, Dave then encountered an Empathetic Judge who seriously studied his criminal history and came to identify it all as connected directly to Drug Use. Seeing Dave's excellent military service record (in spite of the drug use), and a significant job history as a Skilled Craftsman, this Judge came up with an option to prison! With the DA concurring, he was sentenced to One year in jail and One year in a Drug Rehabilitation Program. The Judge advised him to get in touch with the Veterans Administration while he served his time, to go directly into a program. This was a condition of the plea bargain; "Go directly into a Program", the Judge said. "And if I see you back in this Courtroom, you will get the maximum sentence that is allowed by California Law." With the jail being overcrowded and sentenced commuted, on March 24, 1995, Dave entered the VA Chemical Dependency Treatment Program at their Hospital in Fresno, California! He has never used since that day. By the time he had completed his Treatment, the Staff was strongly urging him to become a Counselor. He was very insecure about the thought of going back to school, though.

It took about 2 years of working back on the pipeline as a Pipe-Fitter, before Dave would make the decision to become CounselorDave. At 48, he first went through the Mexican-American Opportunity Foundation, Clerical Skills school under their Grant from the California Employment Development Department, that was administered by Employers Training Resource. Five days before graduation, the school hired him to be a counselor in their California Welfare-to-Work program. This job gave him the confidence to go forward with his plans to become a Drug Counselor.

In 1999 he resigned from that job, and took an Assistant House Manager, night job at a Drug Rehab for half the pay, crisis counseling along with his other job duties. Soon he enrolled in the Cal-State University Bakersfield, Drug & Alcohol Counselor's certification courses. With several courses completed, in 2000 he was interviewed for, and on February 1, 2001, was hired for his first job as a full-time Counselor at a newly started Drug treatment program. After working many extra hours daily helping to insure success for this program, and after about 2 years of having developed a very good standing in the local treatment community, another start-up program, yet to secure any contracts or clients, called on him to help develop their program as it's first Program Director. This position was very demanding, calling for 50 to 60 hour weeks. Over the course of 3 years they filled the 23 bed facility, secured a contract with the State (using Dave's own curriculum as part of the State Certification process, and for securing California Department of Corrections contract), rented more property nearby and expanded to 58 Treatment Beds.

A common issue for those in the Drug Treatment field is a syndrome known as "Burn-Out". Dave became familiar with this problem, as part of his Education. Most Counselors go far beyond their job description and duties trying to overcome the Statistical 10% success rate. Having also been the Lead Counselor while serving as Director, he found himself identifying this problem as one he was acquiring. He consulted his mentors and took their advice. Thus, in spite of the time and energy invested he came to believe that he had to resign to insure having any future in the field. If you are not mentally healthy you cannot help someone else who is also suffering from a mental condition, which is exactly what Addiction primarily is! Thus, Dave began Consulting, Speaking, and delving into his Internet endeavors. Also being a Recovering Addict, he could not risk falling back into Drug Addiction, no matter what it took. No matter how long you've been clean an Addict will always be an Addict! Successful Recovery requires that you do "What-ever It Takes", to save yourself from going back into that Life, because Addiction is a Chronic, Progressive, Fatal Disease! Dave now operates his own Sober Living Home, The House of David!

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