Last May, my brother entered treatment for alcoholism and addiction, and my family received a crash course in addiction. We were amazed by how little we knew about the disease, and how prevalent it was in our own community (and all communities). We found ourselves wishing we had known how to help my brother and ourselves in the previous years that he had struggled with addiction.
Just before my brother left for treatment, we were extremely fortunate to meet Bill Maher (CIP, CADC, BRI II, ACI), an interventionist and addiction counselor in Richmond, VA who worked closely with us, and continues to work with us as we navigate the disease. This May, we were proud to celebrate my brother’s one-year anniversary of his sobriety.
When I became Chief Education Officer for Theta, I had no idea how closely my job could relate to the issues my family had recently faced. However, the executive committee and sorority as a whole were so supportive of me that they prompted me to combine Theta’s resources with my own new knowledge to take action.
With the help of the executive committee, many Delta Chi members, and the resources Theta provided us, we put together our first FOA (a required education session for Greek organizations) open to the entire Greek community and UVA student body. The event was called “What Happened Last Night? A Lecture on Addiction and Resources,” and featured a lecture by Bill Maher on what addiction was, and what resources exist in the UVA community to help students intervene in their own or friends’ encounters with addiction. My goal for the event was to provide people resources that may have helped me years before, as my family struggled to understand my brother’s addiction.
We were thrilled to have over 200 students attend the event, filling a lecture hall on Grounds. Due to the generous donations of Bill Maher, Cirque Lodge, and Kappa Alpha Theta, we were also able to fund ten anonymous counseling sessions with a local therapist for UVA students with substance abuse concerns.
Hosting the event was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during my time as a UVA student, and it made me realize how fortunate I am to have the support of Delta Chi.
Mary Gray Johnson (’16)