Running a recovery program or halfway house is a unique business. I don't think there's a college or university in the country that offers a course on the subject.
Oh yes, there are many schools and universities that offer courses in psychology, alcoholism, and drug addiction, but having a degree of that type will not equip one to run a successful halfway house or program that deals with the type of addicts we do.
Those type of degrees won't hurt you if you're planning on running a recovery program but you also must have more education than that. And that education requires that you yourself be a recovering addict or alcoholic. Without that kind of education, you'll never be a success in this business.
At TLC we have few people who aren't addicts or alcoholics. Among them are therapists, medical staff, and accounting staff – those who have specific education in that area. And even then, many of those have been addicted to something at one time or other.
But the nonprofessionals on our staff suffer from some degree from the ravages of alcohol and drugs. Some have been imprisoned. Many have lived on the streets for years. The bulk of them has lost everything, including their families and personal relationships. Their histories are often a classic train wreck.
And why is this important? It's important because it takes another addict or alcoholic to communicate effectively with another addict. A non-addict or alcoholic could never manage this business with any success. It would be like someone who went into a computer factory and tried to manage it without having any experience with computers. It just doesn't work.
We actually at different times have tried to use non-addicts to help run our business. But we have learned the hard way that they never work out. It's not that they're bad people. It's just that they can't relate effectively and with credibility with people who have grown up in an addict or alcoholic culture.
At varying times I've hired my own family members to help in the business but reluctantly had to let them go because they didn't quite fit in. Not only did they not work out, but there were also some sore feelings when I let them go.
Sometimes those our staff have the idea that we are going to put our family members in charge once we're gone. But the only thing they'll be in charge of is of any real estate they own – and that's all under a long-term lease to TLC.
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