The Coleman Institute Blog

One of the most profound sentiments I hear from patients in recovery from various substances is the sense of pure gratitude they feel on a holiday morning when they wake up knowing that they won’t have a hangover and that they won’t have to come up with excuses to leave their family and figure out how to get something to keep from being sick.

As the holidays approach, there are many resources published to give people ideas and strategies for remaining off addictive substances and—if you or a loved one are in early recovery—Congratulations! I urge you to start planning your strategy now. For anyone who remains ensnared in the nightmare of addiction, I want to emphasize that the holidays may be your best time to consider an outpatient detox.

Eve, age 46, is a long-time nurse. When she was younger and working in the hospital, she was helping an obese patient from bed to their wheelchair. The patient became unsteady, and when Eve reached to steady the patient, the patient fell, pulling and twisting Eve’s back as they tumbled to the floor together. The patient was fine. Eve acquired a slipped disc and horrific pain, leading her to seek treatment for her pain and injuries.

I have written this before in many blogs, and (as long as I continue to write) this will remain a constant: my inspiration comes directly from our patients. Although I change personal details to protect their privacy, the core of their stories is what moves me and what I deem so worthy of sharing. Yesterday I was particularly touched by two patients: “Adam” and “Eve”.

I just spent some time reading Google reviews for the Coleman Institute. Many patients reference their recent experiences, while other narratives go back years.

For myself, I’ll never forget my first inkling of what it meant to be a patient here.

In 2007 I was interviewing for a Family Nurse Practitioner position in the Richmond, Virginia area. I’d been working for five years, and my current employer was planning to retire. I answered an ad in the newspaper and met with Dr. Coleman soon after. It seemed like a good fit: he was a genuinely nice, laid-back Kiwi (he is from New Zealand), the office was within biking distance, the staff very pleasant, and the family practice patients were diverse. As our conversation was coming to a close, Dr. Coleman informed me that he also practiced Addiction Medicine.

Although I didn’t really know what that entailed, it wasn’t the kind of statement that made me want to sign an employment contract. I politely thanked him and told him I was going to continue with some other interviews but agreed to return and shadow him for a couple of hours to learn about this part of his practice. I think I’d already made up my mind that this wasn’t the gig I was looking for. A few days later, I returned to follow Dr. Coleman around as he introduced me to ‘Addiction Medicine’.

Fred, a former patient at the Coleman Institute, was prescribed opioids for roughly 14 years. When a specialist treated this with Suboxone, he found himself needing treatment to detox off of Buprenorphine. Find out how the Coleman Institute helped Fred detox comfortably and quickly.