DIRECT STEPS TO RECOVERY
For years, oxycodone, morphine, and hydromorphone seemed to be Kelland Wright’s direct steps to recovery. ! e traumatic brain injury he su " ered while serving in the military soon extended his troubles beyond physical ailments. After completing his contract, Wright found himself dealing with a dwindling support system and isolation. He started consuming large amounts of alcohol throughout the day and taking higher doses of his medication. “Really, the only time I would go out of the house was to get more medication, and I started going to people outside of my doctor to get them,” he said. Wright’s parents were able to o " er him support and help him continue attending his treatments. In 2014, he began
“I went from trying to learn about myself, who was someone given a diagnosis, to trying to help other veterans.”
- Kelland Wright
a social work program at the University of Toledo. “I went from trying to learn about myself, who was someone given a diagnosis, to trying to help other veterans,” he said. In 2019, Wright graduated with a degree in social work and later received his master’s degree. In 2020, he received a position as an employee of the Lucas County UMADAOP.
Wright’s career now involves counseling people in positions similar to his previous situation, so he sees the grip drugs have over many people in the community. As a clinical social worker, he performs mental health assessments and facilitates partnerships with other community agencies that specialize in mental health within the minority community. A large part of his work involves collecting data that mental health and addiction prevention specialists can use to better understand current issues within the Black Helping Through Social Work
community. Gathering these statistics has allowed him to see the widespread misuse of drugs and overdose from opioids. “ ! e growth is huge,” he said. “You hear rappers rapping about lean and other drugs, and that’s a big part of our community.” ! is culture helps promote detrimental lifestyles and habits. “You see rates of gun violence in this area. It’s not a singular issue. ! ere’s so much of that connected to problems in mental health, and drug use is a huge part of that.”
10
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online