Behavioral Corner

Hi, and welcome. I'm Steve Martorano. And this is the Behavioral Corner; you're invited to hang with us, as we've discussed the ways we live today, the choices we make, the things we do, and how they affect our health and wellbeing. So you're on the corner, the Behavioral Corner, please hang around a while. 

Steve Martorano 

Hi, everybody, Steve Martorano. And this is the Behavioral Corner; you're, with you hanging on the corner. And another gorgeous day, early November. And November is, of course, the month that we reserve for honoring veterans. And this we're going to be talking about veterans and problems they have and the treatment they're getting for a multitude of problems associated with their service often. Just a little background on the historical note here for those of you who follow these things, Veterans Day, which is November the 11th, originally began as Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War One, and apparently occurred on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month back in 1918. Now, it is, of course, designated that as Veterans Day. So what better way to handle that topic than to have a vet on with this and Rodney Thorne has been a guest on the program a while back now. Rodney is himself three and a half years sober and doing very, very well. He works for Retreat Behavioral Health, our underwriters, by the way, at their West Palm Beach facility. We'll find out what he's doing down there. But we welcome Rodney to hang out with us here on the Behavioral Corner. the hardest part of this interview is going to get Rodney to not say, "Sir," he starts every question. It's an old habit. I know. Rodney, thanks for joining us on the behavioral corner.

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, sir. Yes.

Steve Martorano 

Now it's okay. I don't want to put you on the spot. It's it's terrific. You know, Rodney, you know this better than most, we sort of almost like a knee jerk. Tell veterans, "thanks for your service," and sort of let it go at that we're gonna find out that they need a lot more help than that you're doing some of that help right now. Tell us about yourself first, before we get going. Tell us about your military background.

Rodney Thorne 

Okay. Steve, I spent eight years in the military. I served in the US Army. did two tours and combat one Desert Storm / Desert Shield, and then I did a tour and six months to Afghanistan, and I was a stinger gunner for defense artillery.

Steve Martorano 

You were what?

Rodney Thorne 

Stinger gunner. 

Steve Martorano 

Okay, you know, Rodney, you're talking to a career civilian. So, what exactly did in those in those combat situations? What exactly were you supposed to be doing?

Rodney Thorne 

Well, I was defending our country.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. And I mean, specifically,

Rodney Thorne 

Air defense artillery. I was one of the guys that were shooting down planes. 

Steve Martorano 

There you go. Where are you from Rodney?

Rodney Thorne 

I'm originally from the state of North Carolina.

Steve Martorano 

North Carolina.

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, sir. 

Steve Martorano 

And are you from a military family? And how do you wind up joining the army?

Rodney Thorne 

I guess it's a somewhat military family. My uncle, a few cousins, and I have all participated at some point in time served in the military. Oh, yes. Obviously a military? 

Steve Martorano 

Yeah, um, I know that you struggled with substance abuse. And now as I mentioned at the beginning, you're three, three and a half years sober. So you know, congratulations on that. Tell us a little bit about your background with the disease of addiction. When did it start for you?

Rodney Thorne 

I was in the disease of addiction, probably about close to 20 years, maybe -- off and on -- Crack cocaine was my main addiction. I started using shortly out of the military. And that came with, I guess, the PTSD, which I didn't know what it was at the time. Just trying to drown the pain, the sorrow to hurt. So I turned to drugs. And my drug of choice just turned out to be crack cocaine. And I used it. But yours at one point in time, yes. I was a working addict. But of course, it gets the best me.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah, it's nothing worse. People don't appreciate this. There's nothing worse than a high functioning person with substance abuse. Because the more you can get done, sort of in the real world, while you're using the longer you're going to wind up using until you crash and burn, obviously, so you weren't using in the military? Or before that?

Rodney Thorne 

No.

Steve Martorano 

Or before then? So you don't have any problem tracing at least the origins of your substance abuse to your experience in the service. 

Rodney Thorne 

It came with the night terrors, you know, the night sweats. As I said, it came with the PTSD -- the sounds the smells.

Steve Martorano 

All those things could trigger you, right?

Rodney Thorne 

Yes.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah? What did you think was happening to you when you came out of the military after three tours in you know combat? What did you think was happening?

Rodney Thorne 

I can actually say Steve, I honestly felt lost. Honestly, I had no clue what life direction to take. I just know after my last combat tour, I was done. I have seen what I have seen. I did all I could do. And it got the best of me.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah, no, I mean, I'm wondering, wouldn't surprise me if I'd seen what you saw, to wake up in the middle of the night sweating and with bad dreams and all that. Did you just think, "Well, you know, must be something wrong with me?" Did you have any idea that this was kind of, you know, a thing that was going on with a lot of veterans

Rodney Thorne 

Not at the time, you know, surprisingly enough. As a veteran, you know, I asked that basically speak for myself, we tend to try to hide things to cover. We don't want you to think is anything wrong. Even though deep down, we know something wrong. We were I want to say trained to think otherwise. You're trained to defend your country, and this is what you do and take no prisoners. But then in that aftermath of all that you've been through, or you've seen or whatever you dealt with. You know, when those issues arise? We tend to think, you know, there ain't nothing wrong with us. Not this --not that. We go to the VA, we don't tell the full story. You know, we go see the doctor, or the psychologists or psychiatrists, and we don't tell them what's really, in our head until they don't when it's become to be too much.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. It's also I guess, the sense is, this is, you know, the warrior code says, "Don't complain" just, you know, man up, right? 

Rodney Thorne 

Exactly. 

Steve Martorano 

That process went on for you for 20 years trying to get a grip on what's been happening to you. During that period of time. How badly did the crack use get? I mean, were there troubles with the law or what happened to you during that period?

Rodney Thorne 

Not many, I wouldn't say many troubles with the law. I think most of the time, I was just trying to hide my feelings, my emotions, but also trying to hide from the world. So once I can get my drug of choice, you know, I would tend to disappear right for days on it. And I had a family that was bad, but this what I call covering or drowning my pain.

Steve Martorano 

Self-medicating is a standard procedure. So you say you had a family you were married -- you were in a relationship --- had children and all that?

Rodney Thorne 

I was married to a very beautiful woman. She was great. But I was like, a bad apple. You know, I was bad to the core. It wasn't there was so much. I always work but my paycheck was crack. You know, I barely went home. If I went home, yeah, it was bad. 

Steve Martorano 

And the substance abuse cost you all that right? 

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, it did. (It) cost me, family. (It) cost me home. Cars, anything materialistic, it went away. And almost my life.

Steve Martorano 

You OD?

Rodney Thorne 

No, not OD, but I wanted to take my life. I didn't want to live anymore. 

Steve Martorano 

Really? 

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, sir.

Steve Martorano 

Did you ever attempt suicide?

Rodney Thorne 

Not physically attempt, basically through drug hoping I would OD. 

Steve Martorano 

Really? 

Rodney Thorne 

Yeah, it wouldn't be hard nowadays. -- Compared to back then it was really hard. But nowadays, it wouldn't be hard at all. 

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. When did that turn around for you, Rodney, and how did you manage to get a grip on at all?

Rodney Thorne 

I would say around May 2017. I remember so clearly. I was on a bend for about three weeks. Didn't go home. Didn't do anything but this burn and taste crack all day. And I remember sitting in a chap house -- crack house, whatever you want to call it. And at the table on May 7 at 7:43 pm. It could have been nobody but God just spoke to me and said, "This is it. This is enough." And I got up and left my participating self and I went to the VA hospital. And May 20 2017, the VA found a way to send me to Retreat Behavioral Health in South Florida. And I've been here ever since.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah, you're working that I'm going to find out about what you're doing down there. We've had so many people come in and talk about that moment when, after they've done everything they can do in terms of messing their lives up and the disease is taken over having that moment. I mean, you're okay with thinking I don't know, it must have been God saying get it together, Rodney, right?

Rodney Thorne 

Right. I mean I definitely know it could have been the right of God that pulled me away from that crack pipe.

Steve Martorano 

It's interesting because a lot of people have difficulty with that sort of stops them sometimes from getting out because they don't, you know, they don't believe in that. You know, well, they call it the greater power I know in...

Rodney Thorne 

Right. The higher power. You don't have to believe it but it's real. 

Steve Martorano 

And it also doesn't have to be God. It just has to be something bigger than you, right?

Rodney Thorne 

Greater than me. Yes.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. It worked. You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. We're talking to Rodney Thorne. He is an eight-year veteran of the United States Army. So multiple tours of combat duty, and suffered as a result of a lot of trauma. It's not an uncommon thing with veterans. He now works at Retreat Behavioral Health in the intake department of the facility. Tell us what you do in regard to that.

Rodney Thorne 

Basically, I bring the patients in and get them signed in and all the forms approved then, and get these signatures to move on in the consent for treatment. So once they're signed in, then I do a kind of like assessment form. And try to get them on the right path to recovery.

Steve Martorano 

So in that context, you you've seen a lot of vets come in for help, right?

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, sir

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. What are they telling you -- or how what do you come to find out -- they need? What are they facing when they get to a treatment facility like Retreat, what kinds of problems?

Rodney Thorne 

Definitely substance abuse. You may have some on a mental health aspect. Not many, very few. But like I said, it comes to a point where me I know I can speak for myself, when I came through a was the the substance that beat me up and beat me down. And a lot of veterans that are here are coming through now face the same battles. A lot of it is the PTSD, you have some with other mental health issues as well. But a lot of come from you know that they're related experience in the military, whether it be the boot camp, or whether it be actual combat, but it is definitely post traumatic stress. You know, it's very real.

Steve Martorano 

Well, is there a typical age of the veterans you're seeing now? Are they getting younger? Are they getting older? what's what's that about?

Unknown Speaker 

Typically, average is the older vets, the last later part of Vietnam to the early part of you know, Iraq Desert Storm. Desert Shield.

Steve Martorano 

We're talking to Rodney Thorne, who has turned his life around dramatically. And, you know, we're noting his story, as we take a moment to honor America's veterans. And like I said at the beginning, and you've heard this a lot, we sort of think it begins and ends by seeing somebody either in uniform or someone we know who served and saying thanks for your service. How does that how do most vets react when they hear that?

Rodney Thorne 

It is greatly appreciated? It is. But it often reminds the vet themselves whether it is good, bad, and indifferent, you know what I'm saying, Steve?

Steve Martorano 

I know exactly what you mean and more vets got to talk about that because you're right I mean, you're not saying you know, you know don't say that. I appreciate you saying it, but it is kind of a glancing kind of thing like,m"Hey, nice. Thanks, guy. But your problems are not going to go away because I said "Thank you for your service." 

Rodney Thorne 

Exactly.

Steve Martorano 

We do it to make ourselves feel good. And that really doesn't get to the core of what veterans need. Were you ever homeless?

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, I was homeless. Yes, sir.

Steve Martorano 

That's one of the things about vets that's it makes it really hard to get them help. Right?

Rodney Thorne 

I think now, it's not so much -- I realized there is help, but asking for help. And I know because I experienced this myself when I was homeless. I didn't want to ask you for anything. Even though, you know, yeah, it is readily available at a lot of places. But I was taught, you know, as the hardened warrior, you asked for nothing. I think that's a lot of how they fell right now. And I guess some of it could be arrogance, because, you know, sometimes we get into the aspect to now that, you know, I fought for this country. You all should be just doing this, that and serve me. I don't ask. You know, I just expect it to happen.

Steve Martorano 

Yep and resent it when it doesn't. 

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, sir.

Steve Martorano 

That was one of the things we like to remind people of and that is with regard to getting sober. The truth is, you got to go get it. Nobody delivers it to you. No matter how much you may deserve it. You got to want it. Go and go get it. Did you suffer from depression?

Rodney Thorne 

Yes. Depression kept me from going home for a lot of nights. Yes, indeed. I did suffer from depression, low anxiety. But yeah, I was major, major depression.

Steve Martorano 

One of the other things that we have learned about veterans, particularly during the period of time when you serve them, come home, in addition, to post-traumatic stress and substance abuse, as well as the other mental health things. A lot of guys coming back are suffering from chronic pain.

Rodney Thorne 

Yeah. 

Steve Martorano 

Were you wounded at all during combat?

Rodney Thorne 

I was wounded in Iraq. My tank went over a cliff, and the seatback jammed in my back.

Steve Martorano 

Went over a cliff in a tank?

Rodney Thorne 

Right. It looked like a hill. Turned out to be a cliff. It was at night too. So that big default.

Steve Martorano 

What the hell are we laughing about? I hear from you. I hear from you. How many people are in a tank? How many were in your tank?

Rodney Thorne 

At that particular night? It was five of us there.

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. Who was driving?

Rodney Thorne 

Corporal Jackson.

Steve Martorano 

Anybody else hurt going over the cliff?

Rodney Thorne 

No, we had a couple that was kind of banged up and hit the shells. But I was the only one that actually sustained some trauma from that. 

Steve Martorano 

Yeah. Finally, with regard to things that that's face. There are certainly, I don't know that you would directly deal with this at a treatment facility. But lots of guys come back with body parts missing correct? Obviously. That can lead to a whole bunch of other things, mental health issues.

Rodney Thorne 

Mentally, you know, it can be depressing because you're always gonna feel different. And I experienced that shortly after treatment, myself. Diabetic. I ended up losing that digit to an infection I got being diabetic and going untreated and I ended up losing my pinky toe for that. So this was shortly after I got clean going through the claim but I know part of this can contribute it from my substance use not taking care of myself not you know not taking my proper medication that wasn't about my health issues just smoking crack. 

Steve Martorano 

I know your background with Retreat. They're very proud of you. And I think that's why --- I know that's why they offered you a job you know, three and a half years sober now and you're still helping. If there's anybody out there who has vets in their family and they have problems or maybe there's a vet listening to the Behavioral Corner, what do you tell them about, about getting help? How do you impress upon them, they got to go call somebody

Rodney Thorne 

Its good to pull them to the side. You know, not so much as an intervention type issue. Do they work? Yes. Veterans? It could go either way. But they prefer one on one. Because they don't feel they have to be defensive.

Steve Martorano 

Again, it's overcoming that stigma of the fallen warrior who's not supposed to be complaining or looking for help. So and ...by the way, anybody who's listening who, you know, you can get into a program where it is a one on one situation, Rodney your testament to, to how you can turn your life around. Not many people have, you know, see what you've seen? No one I know has ever gone over a cliff and a tank. And I thank you for your service again. And thank you more for your time here and your work at Retreat. Continued success, man. 

Rodney Thorne 

Yes, thank you, Steve, it's a pleasure talking to you. 

Rodney Thorne 

And thanks for not saying "sir" too many times.

Rodney Thorne 

Alright. Okay.

Steve Martorano 

Makes me a little nervous. Rodney Thorne. Thank you. Thanks for joining us on the Behavioral Corner.

Retreat Behavioral Health 

"Every storm runs out of rain," according to the great Maya Angelou. Her words can remind us of one very simple truth that storms do cross our paths, but they don't last forever. So the question remains, how do we write out this storm of COVID-19 and all the other storms life may throw our way? Where do we turn on issues such as mental health or substance abuse begin to deeply affect our lives? Look to Retreat Behavioral Health with a team of industry-leading experts. They work tirelessly to provide compassionate, holistic, and affordable treatment. Call to learn more today - 855-802-6600 - Retreat Behavioral Health, where healing happens.

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