Our society has weathered several addiction-related crises. From crack cocaine to Oxycontin to the current Fentanyl crisis, the United States is no stranger to the issues of addiction.
As we grapple with the multifaceted challenges of addiction as a country, a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of substance abuse has begun to enter the spotlight: mental health. Increasingly, recovery experts, doctors, and counselors are calling attention to the delicate dance that occurs between substance abuse and mental well-being.
This symbiotic relationship is one that Nick Padlo knows well. Padlo is the founder of Sophros Recovery, a growing recovery center based in Jacksonville, Florida that takes a holistic approach to substance abuse treatment.
Padlo’s journey to helping others recover from addiction has been defined by his own experiences and struggles with mental health. However, the lessons Padlo has learned along the way inform his approach to treatment today — and have resulted in notable successes for those who have gone through the Sophros program.
The road to recovery
Padlo’s story begins about as far away from opening a substance abuse treatment center as one could get. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Padlo served for five years in the United States Army, spending 27 months on combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. He earned a Bronze Star and a Combat Action Badge but, like many other veterans, returned home a changed person. Even though he followed up his decorated military career with business school at the prestigious Stanford University and ran several successful ventures, the specter of anxiety and depression was rearing its head, ready to trap Padlo in its grip and refuse to let go.
For Padlo, depression and anxiety led directly to substance abuse to cope with life’s stressors and sadness. Once he realized his using had become a significant, life-altering issue, he entered treatment — but his first go-around would not stick.
“I learned that nothing changes if nothing changes,” explains Padlo. “Even though I had been through one round of treatment and went to a few 12-step meetings, nothing had really changed.”
It wasn’t until Padlo’s second attempt at rehab that the change started to stick, yet even since then, ambivalence creeps in from time to time. He realizes now that the recovery process is a marathon, not a sprint, and he must put in the work himself every day to stay emotionally and physically sober.
Padlo works with a program to maintain his sobriety, which includes attending meetings, working with a sponsor, and working on himself. “When I’m not working a program, my mental health starts to slip, the craving re-emerges, and I am at risk of relapse, just like everyone else,” he says. “It’s a journey that I will be on for the rest of my life, and thankfully, the work comes with rewards, because life is better when I am doing the things to stay sober.”
Treating the whole person
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Padlo began to realize he was feeling a calling to help other addicts recover. “After my own treatment, I spent three months in Cambodia where I learned about mindfulness and meditation and how to put my own recovery first. I had put a lot more time into self-reflection during my second time in treatment and ‘felt’ my way through to recovery,” he shares.
At the same time, Padlo saw an opportunity to help others through dark times similar to what he had experienced. Sophros Recovery was opened in 2021 with the expressed mission to focus not only on substance abuse but also on mental health issues. Through targeted care and individualized programs, their clients can focus on healing mind, body, and spirit, giving them the best chance for full recovery.
“Everyone has different challenges, but we all have one thing in common: the need for serenity in our lives,” says Padlo. “We set the conditions for people to achieve that goal.”
Padlo and his team at Sophros recognize that for treatment to be effective, the mental health aspect has to be placed on equal footing with the addiction. If people leave treatment without any attention paid to underlying mental health issues, their chances of relapse are significant.
Statistical data shows that mental illness coincides with nearly 50% of substance abuse cases. For example, research shows that 43% of people in treatment for the non-medical use of painkillers have been diagnosed with symptoms of a mental health disorder, many of whom may use addictive substances in an attempt to self-treat their mental health issues.
Sophros Recovery is dedicated to treating the whole person, including those with comorbid mental illnesses. The program offers case management, alumni support, virtual therapy options, and medication-assisted treatments, as well as trauma treatment programs, dual-diagnosis treatment options, and many therapy options, from art therapy to group therapy. It all combines to offer comprehensive, holistic options that have a high level of success for clients from all walks of life.
Growing and serving more
Padlo is no stranger to service. Having moved from serving his country to serving a population that needs a helping hand, his mission has not changed — he wants to help people win battles worth fighting. The ones he fights today, however, are for his clients against a formidable foe: the comorbidity of mental health conditions and substance abuse.
Sophros focuses strongly on the veteran population, naturally. Statistics show that 20% of veterans who have PTSD also have a substance abuse disorder. In another statistic that hits close to home for Padlo, 63% of combat veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan fit the criteria for PTSD.
“When I think about the mental health crisis that we’re going through in America right now, veteran suicides are 50% greater than the risk of the average population. I personally lost two friends in 2021 to suicide already,” Padlo shared with First Coast News. He has seen that veterans are struggling with trauma, anxiety, and depression and having a hard time getting help.
The call for holistic care for substance abuse has grown louder and more insistent over the years. A whole-person approach to care recognizes the intricate weaving between the physical, mental, and emotional. Sophros emphasizes not only the need to leave substances behind but also the nurturing of mental well-being, emotional health, and healthy, sustainable habits.
According to Padlo, Sophros Recovery will soon expand into the Tampa, Florida area. It is growth that he has worked hard to facilitate. “I know what it’s like to be in a dark place and see no way out, and I also know that it is fully possible to find success in recovery,” he says.
Mental health well-being is not simply a subplot in the substance abuse treatment story. Rather, it plays a crucial supporting role in many stories of combating and overcoming addiction.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. If you are seeking medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider.
