Chemical Dependency and You (yes, you)

​“Does anyone in your family struggle with chemical dependency?” he asked me. I shook my head no. “Really?” he said with surprise. “No one?” I had to think, because I felt I had given the wrong answer. “How about your friends? Colleagues? The people you interact with on a regular basis?”

Well now, he was casting the net a little wider and made me think. I recently learned of someone in a ministry role who struggled with alcoholism … someone you wouldn’t “think” would have issues with alcohol.

​Ahem.

How we think about “chemical dependency” needs to shift. There is no standard. There is no poster person for chemical dependency. Alcoholics Anonymous “AA” started in 1935 and in 2018, a stigma, and misunderstandings, still exist.

I spent some time recently visiting with Mark Wachlin about his role as a licensed alcohol and tobacco counselor. Mark challenged me to question my own thinking about chemical dependency. Read more in this issue about how Mark approaches his work and how he uses his passion to help others.

You may dig a little deeper in your own thinking as a result.

Next month, we’ll focus on Financial Well-being just in time for the holidays. Let me know if you have a topic you’d like to share.

Here’s to your well-being, 

​Sara Lee
Mower Refreshed Coordinator
Mayo Clinic Health System
lee.sara@mayo.edu

#MowerRefreshed
​#LiveMowerHealthy