Gouverneur Hospital Detox Patient Praises Recovery Team

Paul was already an alcoholic by the time he reached the ripe old age of 18. Now at 67, he is no stranger to the world of detoxification.

By May 2024, Paul had already been a patient in the Gouverneur Hospital Detoxification Program for the third time this year.

No matter how many times he finds himself headed down that dark path, he refuses to get discouraged, and gives high praise for the hospital’s staff for helping him on his current path.

“The nurses treat me really well and I have a lot of respect for them and the counselors. I am well taken care of, we joke around, and they are good to me. This is a wonderful facility,” Paul said.

Through the assistance of Gouverneur Hospital’s Substance Use Disorder service line, Paul has worked with peer advocates and counselors who assist him on his journey of sobriety when he is back in his home.

Paul moved to Gouverneur in 2014, and after receiving detoxification services at the hospital, his peer advocate helped him get his own apartment. As Paul continues with his recovery, his advocate visits him at home to assist him with projects like going through his mail and making sure he pays his bills on time.

Upon getting released from detoxification, Paul checks in with his counselor every two weeks, and receives a maintenance medicine injection once a month.

Reoccurrence

“I had good parents who were hard-working people, and I am one of nine children; there were seven boys and two girls, and I have lost four of them,” Paul said. “All of us boys were drinkers, and besides me, there was only one other who had gone to detox.”

One of Paul’s most recent reoccurrences occurred after finding his brother dead. “I was living with my baby brother and I found him dead; he died in his sleep,” Paul recalled.

Throughout his life, Paul has had a number of jobs including being a machinist, working in a warehouse, and working with concrete, where he made slabs, steps, and walkways. Paul turned 62 shortly after his brother’s death, and he decided to stop working.

Another reoccurrence occurred when he had been drinking vodka for eight months, and it nearly killed him. He checked himself into the detox unit at GH, again. He said there doesn’t always have to be something major in his life that happens to trigger a reoccurrence, and sometimes it’s simply a combination of things.

“I did drugs back in the ‘70s, but I preferred alcohol. If someone offered me cocaine versus a six-pack, I’d take the beer,” he noted.

“I’ve had a bumpy road in life, but I’m going to keep trying. I am determined I am going to make it,” he said.

Road to sobriety

Members of the Substance Use Disorder program have said they are proud of Paul as he has good insight for his future. He knows where he has been and never loses hope.

Through the ups and downs of dealing with alcoholism, Paul continues to look toward the future, even if it’s only a few days ahead at a time.

“I want to put a little garden in – just some tomatoes, cucumbers and beans. I hope the deer don’t eat them first,” he laughed. “My son is turning 40, and I want to go to Connecticut to see him.

“I am determined to stop drinking,” he said.

As Paul sits quietly and talks, his hands visibly shake, and these essential tremors will never go away. When he goes through withdrawal during detoxification, the shaking gets worse, but that’s not a deterrent to his resolve to stop drinking.

“I’ll never quit trying to quit,” Paul stated. “I’ll never lecture anyone; I don’t have that right, but my advice would be to never start drinking or doing drugs.”

However, if someone finds themself in a situation where they are ready to receive help in getting and staying sober, assistance is available in the St. Lawrence Region. Expertly trained and compassionate personnel are ready to assist those in need, whether it is for the first time, or the twentieth time.

Rochester Regional Health also offers in-patient detoxification at Massena Hospital, and in-patient rehabilitation on the Canton-Potsdam Hospital campus. Out-patient services are provided in Gouverneur and Potsdam, and specialized care is available for pregnant people, as well LGBTQ+ community members who are seeking sobriety.

Paul is currently sober, continues with his outpatient therapy, and receives his medication-assisted treatment (MAT) through Gouverneur Hospital’s Substance Use Disorder program.