Coach’s Story and Handbook

Jump Ball Quiz: Think you know a lot about Alcoholism and other Substance Misuse and Addiction? Can you answer these Questions?1. How often have you been screened for alcohol or any other substance use by a doctor?2. Why is it so difficult for someone seeking help to find the quality of alcohol or other substance abuse treatment they need?3. Why do most people who do obtain treatment or 'rehab' find themselves drinking or using again within 6-12 months?4. What are the effects of alcohol and other drugs on the brain and body, and what are the progressive stages of addiction?This book, Coach’s Story and Handbook Volume I - Substance Addiction and 'The Silent Sufferers' by Greg Wince with Dr. Richard Whitney, MD, answers these questions and many more. Over nine in ten people with a substance use disease never get help. Only one in ten people who are diagnosed receive any type of specialized medical treatment. And over half of all people diagnosed with a substance disorder relapse within the first year after initial treatment. Coach Greg was encouraged to share his story and his knowledge. For several decades, with the exceptional guidance of Dr. Whitney, he studied what happened to him and why. This is his experience! It is told in the light of scientific discovery. This handbook presents an overview of substance addictions, or what the medical community defines as the Modern Medical Disease Model of Substance Use Disorders. The intention is to provide information that will assist the vast numbers of individuals and families suffering silently (the 'Silent Sufferers') from the use of alcohol, legal, and illicit drugs. In this country, we are in dire need of 'more, broader, earlier, kinder, faster, better, longer' treatment options for folks with alcohol and other substance use disorders. This is an urgent call for a systemic change by identifying: (a) the glaring absence of screening and initial intervention by a majority of mainstream medical practitioners; (b) the present poor quality of most treatment centers as unregulated 'rehabs,' and (c) the absence of sufficient patient aftercare, support, and chronic care monitoring after intervention and treatment occurs. This compelling 'Coach’s Story' describes the struggles and continued recovery of a successful college basketball coach, executive, recipient of numerous local, state, and national awards, husband, father, and friend.