Losing Credibility

When a manager disappeared the other day, after forging some checks and stealing money from TLC, someone asked if I was angry. Well, I wasn't happy. But after so many years I realize it's the nature of business and that people can be dishonest.

I've been asked before why I trust addicts and alcoholics to handle our money. But reality is that employees sometimes steal. And I believe that we lose a lot less than Wal-Mart and other big chains. I've heard they lose as much as 3 to 4% to theft – much of it by employees.

To me, the bigger loss is credibility. Because this person was a manager, newcomers looked at her as a role model of sorts. And when the newcomer sees a manager steal, they sometimes wonder if recovery really works.

But my response is always the same: if a manager or another person in recovery is not working a program most anything can happen. Over the years we've seen employees stop going to meetings and talking to their sponsors. And the next thing you know they're high or drunk. And sometimes, on top of that, they steal from us.

We don't get excited about things like this. We do what any businessperson does – we call the police and file a report. We always prosecute those who steal from us. And more than one former employee has gone to jail or prison.

Also, because our mission is to help substance abusers change their lives, we've taken them back into the program. In fact, we have a man who stole from us a few years ago working for us today in a very responsible position where he handles money. He's been sober for a few years and is doing quite well.

Sometimes addicts must go through relapse and other challenges before they change.