SL 322 Addiction - FINAL_SJM Feature 3 / 31 / 22 12 : 31 PM Page 2 his 1969 bestseller Love & Will , the late American existential IN psychologist Rollo May describes the ancient Greek term daimonic as “ any natural function which has the power to take over the whole person . ” He cites love and lust , anger and rage as examples . In more contemporary uses , the word is commonly spelled as demonic , which has a much more sinister connotation . Demons , after all , refer to evil supernatural forces , or , for those who do not believe in such things , emotional wounds from the past . The term also applies to drugs , alco - hol , and other agents of addiction . Brad Sorte has an intimate under - standing of the demons people face . As the president and CEO of Wernersville , Pennsylvania - based Caron Treatment Cen - ters , Sorte leads an organization that pro - vides tailored recovery programs to help families and individuals coping with sub - stance use disorder and behavioral health issues . He has also overcome his own struggles with alcohol . Sorte , whose family lives in Berwyn , began his career as a family therapist with Caron and steadily worked his way up to the chief executive’s chair . We spoke with him about his own recovery , the toll of the pandemic and world affairs on those who are at risk , and the steps individuals and families can take to begin the recovery process . The interview has been edited for length and clarity . Q & A You’re a clinician by training , having begun your career as a family thera - pist . What drew you into this field of work ? I studied psychology in college . It was more a pursuit of personal interest than something I was thinking I would make a career of . After college , I ended up realiz - ing I had a problem with alcohol , so I went to Caron as a patient at age 24 . After going through the continuum in 2006 , I realized I enjoyed the academic pursuit of understanding the human brain . As I was finishing graduate school , I saw a lot of opportunity in the behavioral health space . Luck is when opportunity meets preparation . My journey began with the organization being there for me a little over 15 years ago , and I feel like I have come full circle . SUBURBANLIFEMAGAZINE.COM VOLUME 13 ISSUE 7 | 39