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When lawmen get addicted
Posted By katie allison granju
In case you haven’t been following the story, (now former) Williamson County Sheriff Ricky Headley lost his job and has been dealing with serious criminal charges in the past year related to his use of prescription painkillers.
This week, he spoke about his addiction for the first time in the Williamson Herald, including his new effort to help other law enforcement personnel get help when they find themselves dealing with addiction.
Leaving the legal and political issues aside, I found it a remarkably candid interview about the personal impact of addiction:
Headley’s problems began when he was given a prescription for Hydrocodone/Lortab, a narcotic pain reliever, for his chronic back pain.
“I went to the Franklin Medical Clinic for allergies,” he said. He walked out with a prescription for back pain.
At the clinic he met Dr. Winston Grinder, who was the former medical director at Riverbend Prison. In conversation, Grinder mentioned he was a pain management specialist, Headley mentioned his chronic back pain. After an examination in which the doctor concurred with a prior diagnosis that recommended surgery in the future, Grinder gave Headley a prescription to ease the pain.
“I wasn’t even taking as many as the prescription called for for a while,” he said. “As time rocked on I noticed one wouldn’t help and I had to take two, then they would only last a couple hours and I needed more – the addiction kicked in.
“People have a bad conception of addiction. It’s not about having to feel good, you feel bad but you feel worse if you don’t take (the pills),” he said. “You get to the point where you take them just to feel normal – not experience some euphoric feeling.”
That went on until August 2006 when the sheriff realized he had a problem. He drove himself to St. Thomas Hospital’s emergency room where he admitted to an ER doctor he had a problem with pain pills.
“He told me to wean myself from them,” he said. “I tried to. I ended up taking more.”
On Jan. 23, 2007, Headley finally told his wife Melissa the whole story.
“I told her I’ve got to do something, I’ve got to quit. I learned this year that when you become addicted, two things have to happen before you can get off. Either something terrible happens or you have the desire. On Jan. 23 my desire became so great I said I would rather die trying to quit than die taking the pills.”
Headley stayed home and went through detox on his own with Melissa by his side.
After four days, he was back at work dealing with depression but off the pills and proud of his accomplishment.
Four days later his world came crashing down around him.
Many professions (doctors, nurses, lawyers) have employee assistance programs that offer confidential help and guidance to colleagues facing addiction or other mental health problems. Headley says he discovered that his own profession - one I’d assume is at very high risk for drug and alcohol abuse - does not:
“What I discovered this past year is that law enforcement is the only profession that does not have a place for anyone with an addiction, an intervention program, a chance for them to get back to where they were before the addiction.” Tennessee Missions Foundation is Headley’s new passion. With a Website – www.tnMissions.org — and beginning May 1, a law enforcement crisis hotline, law enforcement officers in Williamson County who are suffering some kind of addiction can get help, from one who has been there.
Apr 4th, 2008
