Accountability

Accountability is the “willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions”. In my active addiction, not only did I lack accountability, I sought at any and all costs to avoid it. I did not want to be held accountable for my whereabouts on any given day, for what lies I told to cover my tracks and most certainly not for my behaviors. Accountability implies a level of acceptance with regards to consequences and I spent a tremendous amount of time and effort to evade the consequences and repercussions that resulted from my irresponsible and self-centered lifestyle.

Adopting accountability is a learning process for any recovering addict. It comes slowly because for so long, it was often much simpler to put the blame others or the circumstances and situations. Early in my recovery, as I began to learn and grow, I became able to admit my wrongs or to having had made a mistake but my tendencies to rationalization or justify outside events or other people’s behaviors as a cause still remained. It took a very long time before my pride would allow me to simply state “I was mistaken, I will do better next time and please accept my apology.”

Working at TSN, maintaining personal and professional accountability is absolutely critical. Every call I receive represents a prospective patient who is looking for help. Behind every patient is a concerned and hurting family and many times, other interested and caring healthcare professionals, employers, etc. There is a great deal of trust placed in my hands to be helpful and effective, to educate along the way and to treat everyone I come in contact with, no matter how difficult or abrasive, with patience, respect and above all dignity.

At TSN, we pride ourselves on our accountability. We take it upon ourselves to be responsible to ensure the suffering addict or alcoholic gets the appropriate level of care from that initial call, to being educated on both their disease and the possible placement options, to their stay in one of our facilities and all the way through an effective aftercare program and case management. When mistakes do happen, we take measures to remedy it immediately, as individuals and as a company. In this field, I find there is no other way to operate – the life of the suffering addict or alcoholic is simply too valuable to be jeopardized by a lack of accountability.

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