by Peter Twitchell
Having worked as an alcohol counselor from 1995 to 2016 when I retired, I’m convinced that native substance abuse counselors have advantage over those fresh out of college with degrees. Degrees are fine but in counseling alcohol addicts who are living a dysfunctional life I believe it helps to be from their culture. I am raised in the native culture, connected to our way of life. I believe this helped me to bond with those I was working with to help to see a better way of life in the traditional way.
My native culture, our Elders, and also the ancients, who taught us how to live a good life, helped me to connect with those living with alcohol addiction. I am connected to our traditional lifestyle and what we were taught as we were raised into adulthood. My bonding with my people and way of life, I believe, was the uniting force that occurred between me and my clients.
I spoke my name, my native language Yupiaq with my young clients and older clients. I’ve drank alcohol which helped me to recover as I tried to help another person. My work at the Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center, the halfway house – Tundra Center, and the Phillips Alcohol Treatment Center were for mostly my people, the Eskimos of Southwest Alaska.
There are three kinds of drinkers. There are those who drink socially with their friends. These are individuals who drink and can quit drinking after a few drinks. There are people who drink, go home and sleep it off. Many, unfortunately, depend on alcohol to cope with life, which is not always easy, but not a reason to drink and abuse alcohol on a daily basis. These people can’t just stop or quit, alcohol becomes a crutch to help them to cope with life
There’s hope for everyone who want to live a productive and healthy life without abusing alcohol. It becomes a personal choice to quit abusing and hurting people as well as hurting oneself when drinking too much every day.
There is always hope to understand life without alcohol or abusing. It is a good life, and you can be a role model for your children and grandchildren. There is always a better tomorrow, and the sun will shine again.
