Page 42 - FOP Magazine August 2020

Mental Health and Wellness Support
A resource guide for Chicago Lodge 7 members
A message from EAP
Professional Counseling Division CPD Employee Assistance Program
312-743-0378
Widely trained clinicians and addiction counselors available 24/7/365
Peer Support Team
312-743-0378
The peer support team includes 300 officers who have taken a 40-hour training
Call for help
No copping out on AA meetings
The protestors are mustering with bricks in hand. The wor- ries about catching the virus and bringing it home to the family remain intense. And the calls keep coming even though the pol- iticians have handcuffed the ability to deal with them properly.
Everything happening could easily drive Chi- cago Police Officers to the brink. Fortunately, those in recovery can take a 10-7 and attend an AA meeting, even from their beat cars.
The CPD Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has been hold- ing its No Cop Outs meetings for officers recovering from drug or alcohol abuse on Zoom. And they have become more helpful than ever.
The meeting can now be held on their couches in their base- ment. There’s no need to get in the car and drive to attend. Offi- cers can easily attend multiple meetings per day if needed.
Joe Riley, a drug and alcohol counselor in EAP’s Professional Counseling Division, shared how a cousin of his on the job in Canada attended a No Cop Outs meeting recently. Retired offi- cers from Arizona and Florida have also Zoomed in.
“We’ve had guys who have gotten permission to do it from the beat car, or they have been taking lunch and attending,” Riley added. “We have seen them on, and then they get a call and log off.”
Confidentiality has never been more secure. Anybody who wants to attend receives a meeting ID number and a password to get in. Then, the EAP counselor running the meeting has to recognize the officers to let them in.
Meetings continue to be held every day of the week at dif- ferent times to accommodate all shifts. A typical No Cop Outs meeting can attract 10 to 15 officers. Some of the Zoom calls have included up to 30 members.
There is still the usual trepidation for some officers to partic- ipate, especially those who are new to recovery. Officer Bren- dan Shields, also an EAP drug and alcohol counselor, noted that some of the new participants will come on, then drop off and blame the disconnect on failing technology.
“It definitely has a different feel,” Shields added. “One of the big things for an alcoholic is to get to meet people and see oth- er people doing well. We’re still getting a lot of good fellowship. It’s a little weird that you’re at home, but at least it’s something good.”
AA meetings often run in cycles. There are quiet times and there are runs. Riley confirmed that participation has stayed at a consistent level, which seems to be a good sign that officers are hitting the “Enter” key rather than reaching for the bottle during these trying times.
“People don’t always get help when they should, but more do
if something happens and there’s some kind of consequence,” Riley explained. “It’s like, ‘Drinking has been causing me trouble at work or at home.’ That’s when they reach out for help.”
About the only difference between an in-person meeting and a virtual one is that attendees have to make their own coffee. Every meeting begins with asking if anybody has an anniversary to celebrate. Sobriety is a one-day-at-a-time proposition, but at a recent meeting a Chicago Police Officer celebrated 32 years of being sober.
But the No Cop Outs meeting is just as important to the offi- cers attending their first meeting as it is to the one with 32 years of sobriety.
“Every day is a gift,” Shields emphasized. “We still have the resources to fight the daily battle. It’s police officers helping po- lice officers.”
At the beginning of the meeting, the leader also reminds at- tendees that there is no rank in the Zoom. There’s also a restate- ment that “what you see and say stays here,” Riley added. “It’s a place you can trust.”
One person starts the meeting by sharing experiences, and one by one everybody takes a turn talking. The meetings con- tinue to last an hour, though sometimes they run longer if there are a lot of people who want to share.
The sharing is the substance of not copping out. Attendees find they share common problems about trying not to drink and trying to stay sober one day at a time.
“Officers will find that there are people there they can count on,” Shields commented. “The more meetings they go to, the more they familiarize themselves with people and the more comfortable they get.”
A new twist has seen members exchanging phone numbers over Zoom at the end of the meetings. And it continues to be a great way for officers in recovery to either begin or end the day.
“It’s almost like after working out,” Riley described. “You feel a little bit more upbeat than when you walked in. No matter how lousy you are doing, you’re glad you went and you’re excited for the rest of the day.”
The access to meetings has spread that feeling of something to look forward to at a time when struggling with alcohol has become even more challenging. But officers are coming every day to gain that feeling of knowing that they will stay sober. At- tending is like taking that medicine that helps you feel better.
“To know that EAP hasn’t just thrown up their arms when it comes to COVID is giving some relief,” Riley concluded. “We have adapted. It’s important for people to know that we’re still here. We’re still running meetings. We still have a safe place to go.”
42 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2020