时代周刊 戒毒顾问的自白（在线收听）

I am a counselor

我是一名顾问

BY JASON MERRICK

作者：杰森·梅瑞克

(And this caption accompanying a two-page photograph says)MERRICK, not pictured, is the director of inmate addiction services at the Kenton County Detention Center in Covington, Ky.

（本文有一张占了两页的配图，底下的文字说明是）梅瑞克，未在照片中，是肯塔基州卡温顿肯顿郡拘留中心囚犯戒毒服务中心主任。

The program treats inmates like these at the jail on Dec.8, 2017.

该项目旨在治疗监狱里的这些囚犯。照片拍摄于2017年12月8日。

(Article by Jason Merrick follows)I thought I was the bad guy, the one who ran through everyone's life, blew through everything.

（以下是杰森·梅瑞克所写文章的正文）我以为我是个坏人，一个闯入大家的生活，然后搞砸一切的人。

Finally, one day I had what we often refer to as the moment of clarity,

终于，有一天，我们经常所说的那个“醒悟的时刻”发生了，

where I admitted to my significant other that I had a problem, and I did not know what to do.

我对我的另一半坦白了，承认我遇到了问题并且束手无措。

I fully expected her to sever all ties and no longer speak to me.

我也做好了她和我断绝所有关系，从此不再跟我说话的准备。

But she said, "Jason, I want you to get the help that you deserve."

她却对我说，“杰森，我希望你能得到你应得的帮助。

And that broke down the barrier to treatment, to recovery.

接受治疗，恢复健康的阻碍瞬间土崩瓦解。

I had to come to terms with the shame and guilt surrounding the wreckage of my past.

我要和不堪的过去带给我的羞愧和罪恶感妥协。

The lives I had impacted, the wasted time.

过去被我影响到的那些人的生活，还有浪费的光阴。

In recovery I realized that I can use the most disgraceful, embarrassing moments in my past to empathize with other men who are coming through the program.

在康复的过程中，我意识到，过去我那些最肮脏，最令人难堪的时刻到头来竟然可以为我所用，帮我对参加这一项目的其他人感同身受。

It was almost magical—the shame became something that I could use.

羞耻竟然变成了可以利用的东西，简直可以说是奇迹。

My past has become one of my most valuable assets in helping people today.

在我帮助他人的时候，我的过去成了我最宝贵的财富之一。

It really does take an army to strengthen our communities, to support men and women who are re-entering society.

强化我们的社区，帮助我们的男男女女重返社会的确需要费很大的工夫。

It's not just what we do within these walls.

我们在这些高墙内做的这些还远远不够。

This is something that takes months, even years.

要做到这一点，需要长年累月的努力。

But we can solve this.

但我们是可以解决这一问题的。

The conversations are finally shifting to solutions."

对话最终会转变成切实的办法。”