November 19, 2019

Laguna Treatment 2

Laguna Treatment Center, an American Addiction Centers facility and leading provider of substance use treatment, has welcomed Laura Giffin as the facility’s Alumni Services Manager. In her new role, Giffin plans to further incorporate Laguna Treatment Center into the community she calls home.

Addiction is an illness very personal to Giffin. Growing up, she witnessed the actions, consequences and untimely deaths of loved ones due to the disease. After her first drink at age 12, she learned that addiction also affected her. After a number of years of not addressing her issues with alcohol, a tumultuous relationship and a brief relapse, Giffin ultimately sought and maintained her sobriety for her two sons.

Almost immediately after beginning life in recovery, she battled a number of intense, emotional and tragic circumstances within the first 18 months of sobriety. After emerging unscathed from incredibly difficult situations, it was not her perseverance through adversity that inspired her to work in the field of addiction, but the tell tale signs of substance use she recognized in her teenage son.

“My family definitely went through some trying times at the beginning of my recovery journey, but when I noticed that my son was exhibiting signs of substance use, nothing that I went through mattered,” said Giffin. “I know this disease all too well and I was not going to let my son walk down that road under any circumstances. It was after that ordeal that I learned I had such an immense passion for helping people see how amazing life in recovery could be.”

Now, more than 10 years in recovery, and her son more than eight, Giffin’s focus is informing Orange County and surrounding areas that recovery is possible despite harrowing circumstances. She regularly speaks about her experience with addiction to community leaders and parents, acting as a resource for those in recovery and single-mothers with children battling addiction.