Substance Use Disorder Hits Close to Home for Detroit Residents   

Photo: Getty Images

By Sherri Kolade and Rasha Almulaiki   

This article is part two of a two-part series for October’s Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Awareness Month. Part one explored the outlook of SUD health and drug use for Black Detroit, and part two delves into the journey to recovery of two Detroit men.   

Substance abuse is a real and tragic disorder that impacts millions of people every day.  

In late June 2020, 40 percent of U.S. adults reported struggling with mental health or substance use, according to the CDC.  

From economic stress, a lockdown, loss of jobs, domestic and social violence, and reduced availability of health personnel, the rise of opioids was a factor for many.  

October is substance use disorder (SUD) Awareness Month, a time to mindfully check in with people, their families, and the larger community on how to break down the misunderstandings of drug use and the people in our lives that engage daily battles on the road to recovery.   

The brain disorder stems from an addition that is considered a form of mentall illness with drug addiction being the most severe.   

While September was National Recovery Month, recognizing the millions of Americans who have achieved recovery from substance abuse and addiction disorders is a timeless achievement. The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) helps year-round those in need of assistance in their sobriety journey to regain the motivation to change, reaffirm their self-worth and find forgiveness.     

Full rehabilitation from substance abuse goes beyond traditional detox treatment. People need individualized emotional, social, and spiritual assistance to maintain a strong and healthy path on their journey – and all of that takes time. The ARC takes a holistic approach to substance abuse rehabilitation as they focus on behavioral change by redirecting addictive thoughts and replacing addictive habits. The program is made possible by those who donate goods and purchase items from The Salvation Army Thrift Stores which fully fund the program and services.     

Detroit resident Larry Carter told the Michigan Chronicle that his journey through drug addiction came with numerous highs and lows.  

“My family wanted the best for me … and I wanted the best for me,” he said. “That is when it really started working.”  

Carter added that moving from Atlanta and Arizona, and later to Detroit, gave him a perspective that helped him change his life filled with relapses, bad mistakes and prison stints.  

“I looked up and said I don’t want this anymore,” Carter said adding that since joining The Salvation Army, he took another journey into being free.  

“I became a soldier, manager, supervisor, counselor, got my counseling degree, a senior soldier,” Carter said adding that he had to relearn to live. “This recovery life afforded me to have a wife in my life; people that will count on me and look for me to support … I got my entire family back.”  

In recognition of Recovery Month, the White House is working to address rising drug overdoses and mental health conditions in America with local businesses, non-profit organizations, elected officials, and government agencies rallying together to promote and educate about addiction recovery and center the voices of those impacted most by the addiction and overdose crisis.  

For its latest stop, the bus visited Washington D.C., making a trip outside the White House. In an exclusive interview with iHeartMedia’s Black Information Network, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and newly appointed Director of National Drug Control Policy Dr. Rahul Gupta spoke to BIN Reporter Morgyn Wood about the importance of Recovery Month and the steps the Biden-Harris administration is taking to address America’s addiction & overdose crisis.  

“This is something that all Americans need to focus on each and every day, not just on Recovery Month,” Emhoff told BIN. “This administration through Dr. Gupta and his team and the entire Biden-Harris administration. We have their back […] we are going to be there for this community each and every day, not just during Recovery Month, because it’s so important. We need to save lives.”  

Recovery and Treatment Centers Detroit  

Individuals with substance use disorders and/or mental health illnesses too often find themselves at a crossroads with the criminal justice system.  

According to the key findings of the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics, there were approximately 26,000 DUI-related arrests in Michigan in 2020.   

Despite the criminalization of illicit drug use, incarceration of those struggling with addiction fails to sustainably heal the root of the problem.  

In 2018, the PEW Charitable Trust released a brief, “More Imprisonment Does Not Reduce State Drug Problems,” with data showing the rise of drug-related arrests and the lack of restorative impact on those struggling with addiction.    

The research found, “The absence of any relationship between states’ rates of drug imprisonment and drug problems suggests that expanding drug imprisonment is not likely to be an effective national drug control and prevention strategy.”  

Detroit has several jail diversion programs meant to curb the criminalization of people that need space and resources to heal from addiction.  

One such program is housed at Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries’ Christian Guidance Center. The organization provides addiction recovery services to local men through a jail diversion program partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections.  

 “We basically take individuals that have been switched from jail to us for drug treatment and counseling and hopefully prepare them to have a better release to society,” said Charles Momon, building manager at the Christian Guidance Center.   

The Center currently serves 25-30 men (19 to 75 years old) who have been mandated by a judge’s order for inpatient recovery from addiction from a range of drugs including crack cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl. The organization continues to deploy mobile units for COVID testing of residents and provides quarantine housing at another location.   

DRMM also has a separate treatment center for women and children at Genesis House Three,   

 Momon shared that one of the barriers for people in the program is low education. The Center is working on developing literacy classes for patients to address the difficulty of job placements and upward mobility.  

Substance Use Disorder is a mental health, and medical condition, and is often influenced by various types of environments a person is living in. Society still holds a powerful stigma that surrounds those who are on the road to recovery, which is often internalized as shame and hopelessness.  

Momon believes the key is knowing how to craft an approach that is both informative and compassionate.    

“Too many people I’ve met think they’re the only ones that have an addiction or need psychological help,” said Momon. “My philosophy is to tell them it’s okay not to be okay. You’ve got to talk to them as people and as if they’re not in the system. Giving them advice on how to sustain themselves and restrict themselves from getting caught up…we get through I would say about 85% of folks.   

They need to understand that to live a better life, that means not looking over their shoulders all the time, and the people in your life that love you need you at your best.”   

Black Information Network contributed to this report.