To Wayne Torres (8:00), who will celebrate his fifth year of sobriety this November, it always seemed normal to him to use alcohol to celebrate special events, to cope with stress, and just because.

To help manage the difficulty of his job as a lieutenant at a correctional facility, Wayne would drink for 4-5 hours a day. Drinking wasn’t a pleasure for Wayne, it was a necessity. After branding himself ‘a fat drunk who hated life,’ Wayne went through a horrific detox that landed him in a coma. His addiction to alcohol nearly killed him.

Despite unsuccessful attempts at therapy and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Wayne finally received the treatment he needed to overcome his addiction. Now a captain at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office, Wayne spends time helping his fellow officers when they are struggling. From creating a peer support group to driving his coworkers to and from detox centers, Wayne wants everyone who struggles to know they are not alone.

Hear even more about Wayne’s incredible journey and the power of recovery: mclean.link/0m5

Read the episode transcript: mclean.link/8dx

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The McLean Hospital podcast Mindful Things is intended to provide general information and to help listeners learn about mental health, educational opportunities, and research initiatives. This podcast is not an attempt to practice medicine or to provide specific medical advice.

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