The right path isn’t a straight line

Despite the frigid and windy weather, five times a day – every day – staff and residents at Mockingbird Hill Recovery Center trudge outdoors to the covered picnic area, huddling close to each other for warmth. Why? Because it’s time for smoke break.

It’s a fairly recent change to allow smoking on the campus, and we realize some may question the wisdom of allowing men in recovery from substance use disorder to partake of a habit that is unquestionably harmful. As a healthcare company, clinical leaders of Aspire Indiana Health struggled with this decision.

Smoking was not allowed at Mockingbird Hill for its first years of operation for a simple reason: rules governing treatment centers do not allow tobacco use inside the facility. 

We soon learned it was a major barrier for men seeking recovery. Many potential residents decline admission when they learned they would not be able to smoke during their stay. So, in consultation with state authorities, the accommodation was made to do outdoor smoke breaks.

The truth is the majority of those struggling with addiction also smoke tobacco. Having recently stabilized in their drug or alcohol use, it’s a huge ask to demand they go cold turkey on smoking, too. They already face so many barriers to recovery, and this is one we could remove.

We recognize that quitting all substances, including nicotine, gives people a higher chance of maintaining long-term recovery. Aspire does offer nicotine replacement for those who are wanting to quit. 

In the short term, the smartest choice is understanding that quitting smoking will happen later in their recovery journey. We’d rather have them here at Mockingbird Hill, working on their disorder, than turning away to continue down a dark road. 

The right path is rarely a straight line.