A Doctor’s Journey Through Addiction and Recovery

Alcohol use disorder can affect anyone, regardless of education, profession or background. In this interview, Christopher Schenewerk, M.D., a board-certified family medicine physician, shares his personal experience with addiction and explains why substance use disorders should be viewed as medical conditions rather than moral failings. Drawing from both his professional expertise and lived experience, he discusses the warning signs of addiction, the relationship between alcohol misuse and mental health, and the importance of seeking help before a crisis occurs.

Schenewerk emphasizes that addiction often develops gradually and can hide behind successful careers, family responsibilities and outward appearances. He also highlights how stress, trauma, anxiety, depression and social isolation can contribute to unhealthy drinking patterns, underscoring the need for earlier intervention and greater understanding for individuals and families affected by alcohol use disorder.

As a physician, you understood the medical risks of alcohol misuse, yet addiction still took hold. What do you want patients and families to understand about how alcohol use disorder can affect anyone — even highly successful or medically trained people?

Christopher Schenewerk, M.D.: The disease of addiction does not discriminate. I am a perfect example of how it can affect anyone. That is the nature of the disease. Professionals can be especially challenging to treat because they think they’re often used to relying on their intellect and judgment, which can make it harder to accept that the illness can still shape how they think, feel and respond.

One thing to look out for is change in behavior, whether that be physically, mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually. Those struggling with addiction often put on a disguise and become an entirely different person. This can include taking serious risks, such as driving under the influence or hiding substances at home, even when they deeply care about their children and families.

There are four things that every addict does: lie, lie, manipulate and lie! These are warning signs that the individual has slipped into the grips of obsessing over their drug of choice.

You’ve spoken openly about using alcohol to cope with stress, anxiety, emotional pain and depression. How closely connected are mental health struggles and alcohol misuse, and what are some warning signs that drinking may be becoming a coping mechanism rather than a social habit?

CS: The mind can be a dangerous place. It gives us warnings and can sometimes lead us to safe choices, but often, under trauma or stressful situations, it makes us crave things that help us escape from reality. We saw this play out during COVID. Humans are inherently social creatures, and when you add fear, isolation and confusion to the mix, the brain can send us into a dark spiral. People started drinking much more than they did pre-COVID.

If you see a loved one start to isolate, become more impatient, drink more than they did before or make poor decisions that they would not have made before, it may be time to step in.

Many people believe they have to “hit rock bottom” before seeking help. From both your personal and professional perspective, what are some earlier signs that someone should reach out for support before things become life-threatening?

CS: There is a saying that we talk about in AA: “Addicts do not reach out until the pain experienced in their life becomes greater than the willingness to change.” Each individual suffering with addiction reaches a breaking point, and at that point, they receive the gift of desperation. This is different for every person. The goal is to help them when their bottom has not yet been filled with consequences and oftentimes shame and guilt. It is well understood in recovery that relapse can progress quickly. When someone has begun connecting with others in recovery or working a 12-step program and then returns to drinking or using, they may rapidly find themselves back in the same patterns they had worked to leave behind, often with more serious consequences. To me, you can stop hitting bottom if you recover, but with addiction, the final rock bottom is death.

Medication-assisted treatment, counseling and community support all played a role in your recovery. For patients who may feel nervous or skeptical about treatment, can you explain how these approaches work together and why recovery often requires more than just “willpower”?

CS: Society makes people living with addiction believe they should be able to fix it on their own, or that asking for help means they failed. But recovery is not about willpower alone. For me, medication-assisted treatment, counseling and community support all played a role because they helped with different parts of recovery. Medications such as Vivitrol, a long-acting injectable that requires a shot every four weeks, can be one important tool within a broader treatment plan, including helping reduce cravings and supporting people as they work toward recovery. Counseling can help someone understand their patterns, triggers and underlying pain. Community support, whether through meetings, sponsorship or relationships with other people in recovery, can provide accountability and connection from people who truly understand what addiction feels like. Because addiction affects the body, the mind, relationships and daily life, I view all of these approaches as working together rather than competing with one another.

Alcohol can have a major impact on sleep, mood, relationships and overall emotional health, even before someone realizes they have a problem. What are some of the physical and mental health changes people may notice when they reduce or stop drinking and begin recovery?

CS: If there is even a question that someone is dependent on alcohol, they should never quit cold turkey. Alcohol withdrawal seizures can be deadly. If someone wants to start their recovery journey, they should do it under the supervision of a doctor.

Many people with addiction also have a dual diagnosis, meaning they have a mental illness that needs to be addressed at the same time. If someone does not deal with their mental illness or deals with their mental illness and not their addiction, both at some point can get worse.

Alcohol does nothing good for our mental health. It does not allow us to get good sleep, even though people with alcohol addiction may feel like they need it to sleep. No, they need it to black out — big difference! Yes, alcohol is a downer, and downers are sometimes used for anxiety, but anyone who uses a drug without a doctor helping them is abusing that drug. Alcohol is not used or approved for any medical condition. Therefore, alcohol withdrawal and recovery should be medically supervised, with appropriate treatment and medications used when needed to support the person. Weaning off without medical supervision often does not work and can be dangerous. There must be complete abstinence at the beginning of recovery for recovery to work.