ELITEworkfall2016

Recovery Takes Time Elite founder shares importance of staying patient through recovery process W hen Albert Ellis opened senseless loss of life and as a result I began medicating my feelings.” Repressing the dissatisfaction with his surroundings led to 20 years of battling drug and alcohol addiction and three incarcerations. Each time he was released, Ellis would start to use again.

his rst treatment center in 2008, all he had was one desk and one phone. “It was a struggle at rst,” says Ellis, who now runs ve Elite treatment centers. “It’s been a gradual process but we’ve built up to what we are now.” Just like with his professional endeavors, Ellis demonstrates the importance of patience and trusting the process in other Ellis remembers growing up in a loving household with both his parents, an older brother and four sisters. His parents worked hard to keep him and his siblings clothed and fed, ensuring their kids never felt poor, despite growing up in the Henry Horner projects, where poverty, violence and crime was rife. He saw many injustices at a young age and, at age 15, Ellis began using alcohol to cope with his environment. “When people don’t have the means to survive, only the strong will survive by preying on the weak,” Ellis says. “I saw a lot of aspects of his life. Learning through experience

„e cycle didn’t end until 1993. He had been out of jail for three years and his addiction had worsened to the point where it was clear he’d be incarcerated again if he didn’t change his lifestyle. He sought help at Gateway Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Centers, where he got the help and support he needed to turn his life around. In April of this year, Ellis celebrated 26 years of sober living. “By the grace of God, I made a vow to end my addiction and I was able to,” he says. Helpingothers When clients rst come to his centers, they are often experiencing low self-esteem and use drugs as a way to feel good about themselves. Building reliance on drugs as a mood booster can be detrimental. Not only does it harm your physical and mental health, but it becomes a never-ending cycle of dependence. Ellis believes the rst step to improving self-esteem in drug users is to educate them on addiction as a disease. By acknowledging it as a disease rather than a shortcoming, patients can approach the situation with a new mindset. “We aren’t under any delusion that we can solve all of their problems right away, but giving a fresh perspective on their situation can motivate clients to help themselves.” Ellis says. Another roadblock for recovering addicts can be focusing too much on other relationships.„ough Ellis understands the strain addiction can have on family ties and the pain felt when disappointing loved ones, he advises his patients to focus primarily on themselves during their time of recovery. Instead of xing their relationships, they must allow the time needed to understand and heal themselves. “To help yourself, you have to know yourself,” says Ellis. “And that takes time.”

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