Clean Recovery Leaders Talk About Addiction During Tampa Television Interview

Is addiction simply a character flaw or a moral shortcoming? “It is neither of these,” said Shayne Sundholm, CEO of Clean Recovery Centers. “The Surgeon General says that addiction is a chronic brain disease. In the depth of addiction, a person has very little, if any, control over what they do.”

“Decision-making changes for users,” he added. “The areas of the brain used for judgment are blocked. Addicts get it dangerously turned around and now think, “Using equals life, not using equals death.”

Challenged daily with this addictive thinking, Sundholm and Clinical Director Charles Robinson shared some of the Center’s treatment philosophy with host Natalie Taylor of Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend program.

“When people first come in, we want to know what’s going on in their lives,” Robinson explained. “The Wheel of Life is a good measuring stick as we look at eight key dimensions in their lives such as family, friends, relationships and more.”

Evaluating people in these dimensions gives Robinson and his team a good idea of where the addict is stuck. “Once they become aware of where they’re stuck, they need to take action and change the beliefs that led them to this place,” he added.

Robinson said, “A lot of the work we do is helping them identify the anchoring events that are preventing them from moving ahead and growing. This can even be the moment in time when they became an addict.” Check out or programming if you or a loved one needs help for addiction in Tampa.

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