Addiction expert to join event on mental health

Juan Blea grew up seeing addiction. This is part of the reason the author published his book “49 Tips & Insights for Understanding Addiction.”

Blea will be one of the many participating in “Don’t Call Me Crazy or Lazy” at Santa Fe Community College on Tuesday, April 5.

The event will feature lectures, films, panels and presentations focused on mental health and students. Blea will speak about his book at the event.

Blea, who is also a counselor, says he wrote the book because he found that he used a similar treatment approach with many families and individuals, even though the details of each case differ.

“My goals are to educate them about what addiction is and discuss its nature: that it is not an ‘either/or’ disease, but one with gray areas,” he says. “Understanding is key, and the book allows readers to find their own best, most useful, and practical approach to handling addiction.”

Blea says his book stands apart from other books on addiction because he uses conversational style.

“The exercises at the end of each chapter are intended to help the reader get in touch with their own feelings about addiction and begin to understand their best path to healing,” he says. “It also provides hope (because) recovery is a process that takes time and work, but it can be achieved.”

Blea also struggled with depression, and that was also an impetus to beginning his book.

He says many people who become addicted to substances are actually self-medicating and often have underlying psychiatric disorders such as depression or anxiety.

“I used reflective journaling to help understand what I felt and thought about myself, discover what those feelings meant, and find a way I could reframe those thoughts and feelings into something healthier,” he says. “The book is designed to provide the reader with the same process, only applying it toward addiction.”

For more information on Blea and his book, visit jblea1016.com.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Don’t Call Me Crazy or Lazy” WHEN: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 5 WHERE: Santa Fe Community College, 6401 Richards, Santa Fe HOW MUCH: Free