Target Practice: Twelve Years in the Trenches and the Counselor in Recovery

Target Practice is a book about addiction, recovery, and mental toughness, culled from 22 year of addiction, a journey into sobriety, and the world of addiction treatment. Tim Volz lost everything as a result of his addiction, including a teaching job, and literally started from scratch at the age of 39. This included addictions to alcohol and cocaine, and roughly 3 years of incarceration. Doors had closed to him due to his legal consequences, the stigma of addiction, and his past, and he had to be tenacious to reclaim a spot in the helping processions. This included 11 of his 15 years of sobriety in college, garnering two professional licenses and a master’s degree in Addictions and Mental Health Counseling. He has now worked in the addiction treatment milieu for over ten years. In this book, Volz illuminates the good and bad of the treatment profession where he lives, and he focuses on what they do not teach aspiring counselors in college, especially counselors who are in recovery from substance use disorders. He gives solutions to treatment gaps, and how to incorporate these into facilities. He also gives an honest account of his addiction, recovery, and barriers he has faced throughout his comeback, and second chance at a fulfilling career. This is more than a memoir - it is a journey full of ups and downs, and it is meant to give hope to people battling their own addictions. For those in recovery who would like to become addiction counselors, it is an eye-opening account of the battles faced due to the stigma of alcoholism and drug addiction that are prevalent in the industry. It is an honest and blunt look at the profession through 12 years in the trenches, both in the field of addiction and mental health counseling.