Heroes Of The Addiction Crisis: How Micah Robbins of The Community Recovery Hub of Palm Beach County Is Helping To Battle One of Our Most Serious Epidemics
Make sure to take care of yourself. I wish I had listened to that. I probably ignore that more than anybody else. I put a lot of pressure on myself to create change, and when it isn’t broad-sweeping, I think I can’t do it. But it’s always a reminder that change doesn’t always have to be broad-sweeping. If you can change and support one person going through recovery, or maybe it’s one choice in yourself daily, you win half the battle.
As a part of our series about “Heroes Of The Addiction Crisis,” I had the pleasure of interviewing Micah Robbins
Micah Robins has been working in the recovery field for 30 years. He has created change in people’s everyday lives and helped local leaders craft change in the community. What keeps Micah in this line of work is watching people make the difficult decision to start recovery and create the life they want.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit of your backstory?
I’ve been involved with the Community Recovery Palm Beach County Hub since its inception nearly five years ago. I was also part of the Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition as their Director of Special Projects for 12 years. One of the initiatives we focused on was supporting the recovery community and building a recovery-oriented system of care. That aligned with Palm Beach County’s initiatives to respond to the opioid crisis about five or six years ago, and I have been actively involved in it since day one.
Professionally, I have been aligned in the recovery space for 30 years. I started my career in Maine, where I am from, working with at-risk youth impacted by addiction and behavioral health. I was also an adventure-based group facilitator and case manager. When I moved to Florida 14 years ago, I kept working in the same line of work. This is what I know. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole career; I am very passionate about it and look forward to doing more.
Is there a particular story or incident that inspired you to get involved with opioid and drug addiction?
Well, as anybody in this space can tell you, there is not one family that’s not affected by addiction. Or very, very few steps between you and someone, either a family member or a loved one, who has been deeply affected by addiction. This certainly has affected my family very closely, very intimately. So, that certainly has informed and inspired me to do what I do.
And can you explain what brought us to this point of the epidemic and where it has come from?
Well, this is a long story: opioids have been in our world for centuries, and now we are dealing with the effects of that. We’re dealing with this issue, especially in Florida, and what you hear nationwide. It really kicked off with a prescription drug issue. You’ve seen the stories; it has been written a hundred times about Purdue Pharma and the rise of prescription opioids. You know, doctors were uninformed, misled, and basically sold a false bill of goods that these powerful painkillers were not addictive, which was obviously a falsehood. As we know, it has all been proven by litigation at the federal level, and we have opioid settlements throughout the country that blow away the tobacco settlements of some 30 years ago. But this issue starts with the prescription issue, which leads to creating a world of people addicted to opiates when you turn off that tap.
Like any addictive substance, one wants to continue with that feeling, so we had a rise of heroin, and then there was a rise of synthetics. Now, we start getting into unprescribed, uncontrolled synthetics of unknown potency and extreme lethality. These are very deadly chemicals that caused the “opioid poisoning epidemic.” It leads to the issue of fentanyl, which is an actual medication that has been used in anesthesia for decades. Now, people are using it unregulated and creating it in synthetic forms and analogs, leaving well over 2,000 varieties of fentanyl on the streets.
That’s how we got to where we are today, and unfortunately, they keep upping the ante. When doctors initially prescribed opioids for “chronic pain,” they made pain the fifth vital sign many years ago, where they would have patients point at a chart describing their level of pain on a scale of one to ten. That is subjective to the individual. Opiates attach to the opioid receptors, so they take away the physical pain, but they also take away existential pain and give people a warm, fuzzy, bubbly feeling. Once people are in that state, they would do anything to stay in it. We must remember that pain is how our body tells us something is wrong.
Can you describe how your work is making an impact in battling this epidemic?
I never look at anything as my work or any singular work. Working on recovery efforts is a group effort. That is the only way this will succeed. With so many great people and great organizations doing great work on the recovery front. Our biggest goal is to align all these things in what we call a ‘recovery-oriented system of care’ where we’re looking at this from the individual out. We must look at it as not everything is linear. An individual in recovery has so many unique features. It is truly individual.
Everybody is different, so everybody’s path to recovery and usage of those assets will be different. We aim to put the person in the center of this and work with the individual on what works for them. Instead of measuring an A to B outcome, let’s measure those social determinants of health. Let’s measure the individual’s resiliency for what they need for recovery. So, you know, if it’s housing, if it’s employment, if it’s education, if it’s legal, if it’s family, if it is something medical, whatever that is, where are they in that need? And How can they communicate that to us? How can we engage them in the system to best meet their needs, and what kind of system do we have for them to engage?
Of course, if we make it too complicated and disparate and the person has been through a very traumatic experience, we won’t succeed. So it’s about meeting the person where they are in recovery.
Without any names, can you tell me a story about a particular individual who has, who has been impacted by your initiative?
There are so many. I know of individuals to this day who have been through or who have engaged in their own successful journey into recovery. They are leaders in the recovery space and leaders in helping others. I know several young men and women who have turned their lives around. They have been given opportunities to do so. They have been able to take advantage of the opportunities. They are amongst our leadership right now in Palm Beach County and other parts of Florida, and they are working to make changes at a legislative, local, and professional level regarding recovery.
While there are so many inspirational stories, no matter what we do and how much the individual wants to do this, it doesn’t always work out that way. I can also name several people we have lost because this disease is so difficult to overcome. It may seem like having people in forms of leadership would make you most proud, but it’s the people who are just able to make that recovery that makes you proud.
Do you have a particular story or incident that you find most uplifting and what does make you most proud of your work?
It’s challenging for many people to understand what someone else is genuinely going through, and it can be so unbelievably hard that they look at death like it is one of their options, but overcoming that is the most uplifting. When someone leaps the first steps of recovering, saying, “I don’t want to do this anymore. I want to make a change.” To me, that’s just as uplifting as anybody who’s now in long-term recovery and doing great things with their lives because it took that first step to get them there. I have seen that, at this point, thousands of times, and it never gets old.
What are three things the community and society can do to help address the root of this problem?
That is one of the difficulties, finding the root of this problem of addiction because it’s dependent on the individual, and there are so many root causes. There are so many stressors; we can also diagnose so many things now that we weren’t able to before, and we know there are just more pressures and more inputs in our environment, and everything is different. Several things can make getting to the root of the problem challenging, whether it’s family issues or being predisposed to the disease of addiction. If you are predisposed to that, then unfortunately, with the drugs we have today, the chemicals are so strong that you are physiologically going to have an addiction no matter what.
Behavioral inputs, past trauma, bullying, economic issues, family issues, and jobs can all be triggers. We just have to meet the individual where they are, and that’s the long way to go. It’s the hard way, but the only way to do it. If you don’t build a relationship on every level of this, we’ll never get out of it. This is not a problem or an issue that we fix but that we solve. It’s always been with us. It’s how we manage it now, in a different way, that we will see long-term success and opportunities for those living with this disease, and we have to face the challenge every day.
This is about how we face the situation. How do we support the individual, and how do we build resiliency? If we view addiction as a crisis, we will never consider the solution, and we have made great strides in this particular issue in the last several years. I want people to know you are not alone. There are a lot of folks around you who can be there for you and help you navigate this.
Mental Health and substance abuse, you have to look at them hand in hand. It’s the number one health crisis in the United States, but it is one of the most effectively managed by people doing things together. It’s all about building relationships. Frankly, that is going to save a whole generation.
What three laws would you like to see introduced that might help your line of work?
There is good news: Florida has already introduced the three laws.
One is House Bill 1065, which clarified many things about the recovery house space, and the other is House Bill 367, which became law years ago and cleaned up recovery residences and the treatment industry when it came to false marketing and brokering practices. Our County commissioners and state attorney’s office, led by Dave Aronberg and Al Johnson, really led the change.
Not just for Florida or Palm Beach County but for the United States. The opioid crisis was terrible in Florida, one of the worst states to go through this crisis, but it was leadership that came together to create statutes creating task forces and addressing this issue. Several certified bodies, like the Florida Association of Recovery Residences, serve the people. You have the Department of Children and Families to crack down on those who misuse their prescription licenses, and the state’s attorney’s office holds those people accountable.
The work done in Palm Beach County is a catalyst for municipalities to help make a difference in the lives of those fighting addiction.
What keeps you going?
That’s a hard question to answer. How do you say it without getting emotional? I would have to assume that it’s seeing everyone take that first step and know it’s time to enter recovery. It’s the next person I see. They’re just as important as the thousands of others that have made the step. That’s why you do it. It’s the next one who is right in front of you.
Do you have hope that one day this leading cause of death is going to be defeated.
We will all die at some point, but this shouldn’t be how people go. We are losing a generation here. We have too many kids growing up with grandparents, aunts, and uncles because their parents passed away too young because of overdoses. We can’t lose that many folks of talent, caring, creativity, and what they could have become. I hope this doesn’t become a cause of death but becomes a cause of change and a cause of resiliency and rebirth for the person dealing with substance abuse.
If you work with people in recovery, they typically make a difference in recovery. They have that passion, that fire, that unfortunately drives them into addiction, but it creates magical things in recovery because they tap into that flame differently. Leadership is coming out of this, and it will be those in recovery. I know small miracles happen daily, and those add up.
It’s also important to examine how we are phrasing questions regarding recovery and addiction. Like finding a solution, the questions must be thoughtful, not just seeking opinions.
How do you define leadership, and can you explain what you mean or give an example?
Leadership should not be someone’s goal. Leadership is when individuals or groups know something needs to be done and are willing to take risks, even if they don’t realize they’re doing it.
Those who want to be leaders generally fail because they don’t understand what leadership is. So when I say leadership in these issues, I mean people who have come from every walk of life, know something is not working, and are willing to do anything to make it happen. Leadership is a state of mind and being. I wish I could explain it further, but sometimes, you’re just in it.
What are five things I wish someone had told me when I first started, and why?
I was fortunate enough to have incredible mentors and incredible influences. No one said this would be easy or that I would be good, great, or effective. People were just there to explain what the world was like, what to expect professionally, and what to expect from myself.
One thing I learned early on is that this is a self-thing. You forget that so many people have come before you and that there is so much experience to draw on, lessons to learn, and expertise to cherish.
If they haven’t come up with a solution, maybe that’s not what you need to look for. Perhaps it’s how you affect further change and build on what those have done before you. We aren’t going to save every person, and you aren’t going to change the entire world.
But look at it as how do you manage recovery and make it better for that individual that day. That’s what we can do. How can you do better for yourself and help people care for themselves?
Make sure to take care of yourself. I wish I had listened to that. I probably ignore that more than anybody else. I put a lot of pressure on myself to create change, and when it isn’t broad-sweeping, I think I can’t do it. But it’s always a reminder that change doesn’t always have to be broad-sweeping. If you can change and support one person going through recovery, or maybe it’s one choice in yourself daily, you win half the battle.
Also, the status quo doesn’t always have to be the status quo. Just because it’s always been that way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. I think we get stuck in certain spaces for so long that is not how it should be. We can treat people differently. We can serve people differently. I’ve always been told that we create better environments for everybody, and I have always had positive mentors and role models.
The fifth thing is to remember that you have people around you to ask questions and utilize those relationships. I have great mentors who are far younger than I am, and I mentor others that I didn’t think needed a mentor.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
It goes back to the foundation. I came up with a program called ‘Leader School.’ It focused on how we all interact and how we can do more for those around us. That movement of just being open and not afraid of stepping in and making changes to the challenges that the world throws you.
So, the recovery movement is undoubtedly reflective of substance and behavioral health. But at its core, we’re a country that needs recovery. I don’t mean that in any political way. I mean that as we have leadership that, across the board, makes a huge difference and is making strides.
If you look at this current ‘substance issue’ or ‘opioid crisis,’ you can’t lose 100,000 people a year and not see that as a movement to rally around and to help people heal. There are hundreds of thousands of people hurting in such a way that they need to take a chemical to make them not feel the way they’re feeling. About 10% of our population of all humans are suffering from some sort of behavioral health or substance use disorder in our country.
What else do we have if that is not a movement to get around?
What is your favorite life lesson quote? Can you share how that’s been relevant to you in your life?
I live by this quote, “Life is serious, but not that serious.” So, no matter how challenging, we are all living this life. There will be silliness and humor that come around with it, and you have to accept that, too, even in the darkest times. Because if you only focus on the darkness, you will crumble. We have to see the lighter side of things and see that the sky is blue. The grass is green, and we live in an amazing time with many incredible things. Don’t forget there are amazing people around you even though sometimes they may forget it and you might forget it.
I talked about family, but my dad always said, ‘Don’t forget to leave it all out there.’ He would always tell us to leave it on stage. We get one shot at this life. If you want to lead, then lead. If you want to be part of something, do it. As I tell people in this space, the only cost of entry is showing up. We don’t care how you got here. Just show up. And when you bring something to the table, it will be valued, so please bring it and don’t fear it.
And then is there a person in the world or in the United States whom you’d love to have a private breakfast or lunch with and why?
My kids. Every day, people ask me who I like to spend time with. I put in so many hours at work. I am on the road a lot, so what more could I need when I’m with those two? While I have always worked with kids and value that bond, there is nothing like your relationship with your own. Many people have influenced me, and I would love to have one more conversation with them. I would love to have more time with my folks and brothers. There is the family I lost, and I wish I had more time with them. I can’t change that, but if you have that special person in your life, make that time for them. I used to think, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if I got a few minutes with John Lennon?” but now I want more time with my kids. They’re the ones that are going to make a difference.
How can the readers follow you on social media? Or keep up with what you’re doing
While I am one of the most social people, I do not use social media, can you believe that?. My wife runs my Facebook page if it exists. Maybe I am the last holdout, I don’t know. I would rather you follow yourself and see what you are doing. I want you to think about what you’re doing every single day. Let’s spend less time on social media and more time being social. If you want to contact me, email me, and I will even send you my cell phone number. I would rather talk with you and see if we can enforce change together and do work in the community.
This was very meaningful. Thank you so much!
