Alan Mends, Managing Director of Iris Place Rehabilitation Centre, strongly believes that overcoming addiction involves more than just the physical and mental aspects; it requires addressing a profound spiritual dimension.
During a candid conversation on the Citi Breakfast Show with Bernard Avle on Tuesday, April 22nd, Alan shared his personal 33-year battle with substance use and the transformative journey that led him to recovery.
“We are never cured of addiction. What we have is a daily reprieve and contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition,” he stated, setting a deeply personal tone for the discussion.
As a recovering addict himself, Alan now dedicates his life to running Iris Place, a rehabilitation center he co-founded in 2019. For the past six years, Iris Place has been a beacon of hope for individuals navigating their own paths to recovery, stories that deeply resonate with Alan’s own experiences.
“Iris, a rehabilitation center place, started in 2019 and for six years now I have seen a couple of people come in. And for me, it’s a passion. For me as a person in recovery, because the more I reach out to help others achieve recovery, the better I also sustain and maintain my recovery.”
Despite being raised in a strict, religious environment, Alan’s journey into addiction began with curiosity and the influence of his peers.
“I was brought up by a strict disciplinarian. I was brought up with a Bible and a cane,” he recalled.
Reflecting on his upbringing, Alan emphasized the crucial role of emotional awareness in parenting. He suggested that a deeper understanding of his emotional needs might have provided him with greater resilience against the allure of substance use.
“I believe that parents should go the extra mile to know the emotional aspect of their kids so that they can also get the courage and share.”
A significant turning point occurred when Alan reached his personal “rock bottom,” a moment he described as hitting “the button,” which ignited a genuine desire for change. He confided in his sister about his wish to stop using drugs, but years of unsuccessful attempts had made her skeptical.
“When I hit the button, I told my sister that I wanted to stop, but she couldn’t believe me because we had had countless conversations about my situation. At times, I shed crocodile tears to show that I want to stop, but this time around, it was a serious tear. So she relaxed that I wanted to stop.”
With his sister’s eventual support, Alan entered a treatment facility run by the Catholic Church, where he underwent two and a half years of intensive rehabilitation—an experience he describes as life-altering.
“For me, it was an eureka moment when I got to recovery. At the end of my first year, I had a scholarship to study addiction management.”
Today, Iris Place employs the same twelve-step recovery model that played a pivotal role in Alan’s transformation. This approach focuses not only on detoxification but also on addressing the underlying mental obsession and helping clients discover a renewed sense of purpose.
“They used the twelve-step recovery model, which I also use at my Iris Place. We will help a client to stop using, so that you do not experience what we call the physical allergy, lose the desire to use that deals with the mental obsession, and then find a new way of life.”
Alan clarified that the principles of the twelve-step model extend beyond addiction recovery, offering valuable guidance for navigating life’s challenges.
“The twelve-step model can be likened to any information that comes with a gadget. So it is for everybody, but especially for those of us suffering from substance abuse.”
Ultimately, Alan believes that true addiction recovery necessitates a spiritual foundation. He emphasized that the struggle is not only individual and communal but also deeply connected to one’s relationship with a higher power.
“Because the problem of an addict is a problem of the addict himself, the community, and with God. So it is a spiritual programme,” he concluded.
