The Science of Stephen King

To understand more about addiction, we interviewed Andrew Memelink, a substance abuse counselor, about his experiences working in this field.

Addiction changes the physiology of the brain.

Kelly:“A recurring theme in many of Stephen King’s works is addiction. A character inThe Drawing of the Threeis addicted to heroin and quits cold turkey. What is your experience helping people overcome an addiction? What is the process like?”

Andrew Memelink: “I’ve worked in the field of addiction for fifteen years, fourteen of which have been as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. I’ve run outpatient substance abuse groups, residential treatment groups, been a program director at a treatment center, head counselor at a detox facility, and a counselor at a methadone clinic (MAT).

Process varies greatly but could include drying up or quitting using and detoxing either at a hospital or on their own. The next step is to work on their underlying issues through therapy, treatment, or through AA. They may go to a MAT facility to avoid withdrawal and try to avoid relapse. If they get sober and don’t deal with their underlying issues, that usually ends up with being sober and miserable (dry drunk).”

Meg:“Addiction was primarily considered a moral flaw in the past. Do you think people still view addiction this way and how does that affect their treatment?”

Andrew Memelink: “In the medical community it’s still seen fifty-fifty as a moral flaw versus the disease concept of addiction. The disease concept of addiction is becoming more and more prevalent. In the field of addiction and people working in the addiction field, it’s widely accepted as a disease (disease concept of addiction). In the community and people who don’t appear to understand addiction, the moral flaw concept is very prevalent. I still hear from patients all the time saying ‘my family doesn’t understand, they keep asking me why I can’t just stop.’ The stigma of addiction remains a major barrier in all forms of treatment and recovery in all facets of our society. From a provider standpoint I see the stigma of working with addiction as the primary reason why addiction counselors make a fraction of what mental health therapists earn, why we have to do much more paperwork, and have a much more difficult time receiving funding for our patients to attend treatment or participate in treatment services. In the past two months I have been asked by social workers and chaplains at the hospital I work at to do presentations on addiction and the process of recovery. Fifteen years ago it didn’t appear anyone outside of addiction wanted to hear anything about addicts or how they could help them.”

Meg: “I’m glad to hear that’s changing!”

Drug abuse and addiction cost American society more than $740 billion annually in lost workplace productivity, health care expenses, and crime-related costs.5

Kelly:“What is the difference between the physical need and the mental or emotional desire?”

Andrew Memelink: “The physical part of heroin withdrawal is in the acute stage of withdrawal. More than any other drug, heroin withdrawal is usually the most intense. Common symptoms include full body sweats, frequent vomiting and diarrhea, bone pain (like you got beat up in a gang initiation), and cramping. The mental and emotional side in acute withdrawal is irritation, frustration, depression, and difficulty finding pleasure in anything. Post-acute symptoms are physically minimal but the mental and emotional ones are vast. They include cravings, ongoing difficulty feeling pleasure, struggles dealing with difficult situations, sleep problems, depression, and anxiety. The sleep problems can include very lucid or realistic dreams. It’s not uncommon for people in early recovery to report having used in their dreams and waking up feeling high.”

Kelly: “That’s fascinating! And it must be scary to wake up and believe all the progress you’ve made has been undone.”

Meg:“What advice would you give to someone trying to overcome an addiction?”