Donald Gunther

The Recovery Within
MESSENGER
MESSAGE
MESS
ME

My next is now and my now is my next best thing. Recovery has become the greatest challenge and my most current uncomfortable and dysfunctional story of my life. Metaphorically, my darkest days have provided me with light . The light in recovery that could only be seen in my relationship with darkness due to my addiction. Addiction a brain 🧠 disease that leads to compulsive behaviors that could cause substance use and mental health disorders. Recovering from an addiction will disrupt your environment (d.y.e.) a pain that will hurt so good if you process your true feelings. My recovery process allowed my epiphanies from my adverse childhood experiences to my complicated delayed stress syndrome that gave birth to my post trauma stress disorders. The pain from my pathways to a family disease started with the love of two parents mom from Virginia and dad from North Carolina. My dad was a WWII veteran, once the hero of the second World War returned home he became a hostage in the U.S.A. Like many underserved stigmatized and abused veterans my dad developed an alcohol disorder not to mention other obstacles that many veterans are still challenged with. Many of those barriers and challenges commenced while our heroes were fighting for our freedom. Ironically, our country usually provided alcohol and or other drugs such as opioids and many other substances to manage the pain of our soldiers while in combat. Hindsight, upon returning home my dad would say that he felt (feelings) like there was no place to call home. Now the father, husband, brother, uncle, and US veteran would return home to NY with an undiagnosed co-occurring disorder that was fully activated. Now the post trauma stress disorder and mental health disorder is being inherited by the family. My dad’s addiction to alcohol became my blessing and transportation to recovery five decades later .

My epiphany was my mess, my mess provided me with a message and the message is that I have been Purposefully Appointed, Permanently Altered with a Public Announcement. Addiction has infiltrated and influenced my father. Ultimately, the disease would emotionally, mentally and psychologically paralyze ME and family members. Recovery is now five decades later and next is the processing of my family’s history. My family or should I say now, my son Isaiah will be able to write his story.

In summarizing my recovery would have many layers due the complexity of the family disease known as addiction and at that time dad or the family was without any health or medical insurance therefore it couldn’t be any mental health diagnosis. So, my learned behavior became denial a symptom of codependency! My addictive behaviors would promote complacency. Finally, five decades later without mom or dad around my recovery introduced me to courage and a commitment to change. This process continues to be challenging. Especially now with an opioid crisis, substance abuse and mental health disorders, homelessness and no insurance or benefits for many including our veterans. I am evidence-based, the son of a WWII veteran who knows the value of USA by Uniting the Underserved, Stopping the Stigma and Acknowledgement of our veterans abuse.
Thank you, Dad, for your service along with all of the veterans that has served the country.

Donald Gunther
CPS-MH , CPS-WH , RCP , RCPF