About Me

My name is Charrisa and I am a nurse practitioner who is passionate about addiction medicine and recovery.

I realized a couple of years ago that I wanted to do more than just treat individuals with addiction. I met with a patient who actually cried and thanked me for treating them with respect and like they were human. That was the punch to the gut that launched me towards educating others and supporting patients through their addiction and their recovery.

I did not understand why it wasn’t obvious to everyone else who may come into contact with an individual who is struggling with addiction (any addiction), that they were no different then any other individual seeking treatment or help. How can anyone let their personal feelings of a subject infect their judgement and guide how they treat that person? I still feel very passionate about this and I struggle with feelings of anger and frustration when I meet someone who is doing exactly that.

But then I tell myself that most people fear the unknown, fear is bad and therefore what they fear must be bad. So I had to turn towards compassion for these individuals and feel sorry for them that they chose not to educate themselves and grow as an individual.

That is when I knew I needed to offer education and support for these individuals in order to better support individuals in addiction and recovery.

This blog is meant for anyone and everyone. If you are dealing with addiction, working on your recovery, treating patients with addiction, assisting patients in their recovery, the family member of an individual with addiction, the family member of an individual in recovery, the friend of an individual with addiction, the friend of an individual in recovery, or if you are none of those and are simply curious, this blog is for you.

My hope is that I can help end the stigma around addiction and recovery, but I will settle for even a small reduction in stigma.

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