I have been dedicated to treating patients with substance use disorder/addiction for many years and have enjoyed doing so in Lumberton, NC since 2018. Walking with patients from active disease through the recovery process is an opportunity to witness healing and the restoration of health in a way that truly is miraculous. Nothing else I have experienced during my 25 years of practicing medicine has provided such awe-inspiring evidence to support the science of a disease process while embracing the mystery of the spiritual part of healing as well. No matter how sick a person has become, complete remission from active addiction is possible with access to expert medical care and the development of new perspective.
We know that certain genes make people more vulnerable to developing an addiction and that when dependence on a substance develops the brain changes. The way the substance uses chemical messages in the brain to cause the desired effect hijacks the “reward center.” This hijacking of normal brain function creates mood disturbance, difficulty with decision making as well as a variety of other health problems. The chronic disease of addiction, as with many other chronic diseases such as diabetes or cancer, progresses until the patient dies without proper treatment. At Breeches Buoy Addiction Medicine Service, our team strives to make access to life saving treatment available to patients and families, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
A Breeches Buoy is a nautical term given to a device the US Coast Guard used to employ to rescue sailors from stormy seas because of a near shore shipwreck.
Most of our patients are seen in the hospital after suffering a health-related complication related to active addiction. Our team meets each person where they are…..sends a buoy……and then pulls until the patient can stand on his or her own two feet safely on the shore.
Treating addiction saves lives, and all who suffer are worth it!
