VIDEO – RECOVERY IS NOT ACCIDENTAL –

July 3, 2023 – Franks said he went to an outpatient recovery clinic for about 3 months and is clean now, hoping to piece his life back together.

He wants others to know they are not alone in their fight.

“You can beat addiction because if I can, you can too,” he said.

Often getting guidance from those who’ve been in your shoes is most helpful.

“Employees here that actually have lived that lifestyle and they’ve decided to come clean with their addiction problem and they’re actually on the other side of the fence trying to help people,” Dr. Jon Gray said.

Gray is an emergency medicine physician at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital. He said those employees are called substance use navigators and part of the Louisiana Bridge Program, partnering with local hospitals, they work with patients battling addiction. “Addiction is a very complicated disease process and it’s a real disease,” he said. “So, we’ve changed our outlook into that aspect that you should not be ashamed of it. We’re here to help you and happy to help you get into some treatment program.”

“Addiction is a sickness, but you also can beat it like I did,” Franks said.

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