Thriving in recovery: How Chris Boland found his clean start

When Chris Boland’s friends and family staged an intervention, the Scranton native, 50, wasn’t angry or ashamed. His initial feeling? Relief.

He was 34 at the time, a teacher and basketball coach with a fulfilling life. But he had a serious drinking problem, too. One that he didn’t hide, but which he couldn’t control, either.

“At night, I would go out,” he recalls. “I had a ‘going home’ problem, as some of my friends called it. I was always like, what's the next thing? There was never enough.” 

He wasn’t always dependent on alcohol. In high school, he was a dedicated athlete with no interest in partying. That changed when he went to college at Villanova University in Philadelphia.

Drinking was normalized there, and if Mr. Boland did a little more than his friends, it didn’t really seem like a problem. But as he grew older and people around him settled down, he continued to drink to excess.

His disease led to legal problems and cost him a good job in finance. He drifted to both coasts, then moved to New York City with his then-girlfriend, Kelly — now his wife.

“When I went there, I didn't have a connection to the community,” he says. “It really put gasoline on my problem — which I’m thankful for. It ignited it.”

Loved ones step in

Behind the scenes, as Mr. Boland’s drinking spiraled out of control, his partner was conferring with his family. On Nov. 16, 2009, they staged an intervention in his parents’ living room.

“I thought, ‘I'm glad you guys are making the call,’ because I was incapable of it,” he says. “I knew it had to come to an end.”

Geisinger Marworth, a treatment center in Waverly, near Scranton, was a logical and familiar choice to start his recovery. A family member had been treated there, and Mr. Boland had visited. Some local people with recovery experience also had connections to Marworth and helped steer him to the facility.

From day one, he felt comfortable, and he can still list by name a whole group of Marworth staff who helped him acclimate with “no judgment.”

Samantha Fitz-Gerald, PsyD, clinical director at Geisinger Marworth, says every member of the care team brings something deeply personal to treating substance use disorder.

“When I went there, I didn't have a connection to the community,” he says. “It really put gasoline on my problem — which I’m thankful for. It ignited it.”

Steady improvement

Mr. Boland spent 28 days at Marworth, time he calls “great.”

“At no point was I like, ‘Get me out of here,’” he says. “Because I knew I was improving rapidly.” 

He explains that Marworth offered him compassion and the ability to get better at his own pace. But he wasn’t allowed to languish in his room, either. He was involved in group and individual counseling, and he appreciated visits from family. “They were an incredible support,” he says.

And as he became strong enough to leave inpatient care, thanks to an individualized care plan, he benefited from guidance to help him succeed outside Marworth, too.

Mr. Boland admits he was afraid to leave the security of Marworth’s structured program. But, he says, “They do a very good job of telling you what’s next. They don’t cast you out to the wind and say, ‘Best of luck.’”

He was connected to nearby groups and meetings, building a community of people who would continue to help him navigate sobriety. He attended meetings regularly and followed all the steps that statistically lead to success.

“I went into Marworth with no tools in my tool belt,” he says. “When I left, like Batman, I had all these tricks, and now I’m able to help others, too.”

Fostering a lifelong connection

Today, Mr. Boland is a happily married father and alumni director at Geisinger College of Health Sciences. He feels privileged to share his experiences, and he volunteers with Marworth.

“Now I can be who I'm meant to be,” he says. And when someone calls asking for help, he’s eager to repay all the support he got at Marworth and beyond.

“I've never been part of anything where people are so welcoming and willing to help a stranger,” he says. “They’re like, ‘I got your back and whatever you need, here's my number’ — and they mean it.”

His message to others considering treatment?

“Call Marworth, talk to someone in the AA program or ask a loved one for help,” Mr. Boland says. “If you aren’t able to ask for help, then please trust your family and friends if they approach you. You can take your life back and be happy and healthy again.”

For Mr. Boland, Marworth changed the course of his life, and he will be forever grateful. “I love that place,” he says. “It saved me and thousands of other people.”