Architect in recovery dedicates career to building alcohol rehabilitation centers: Lance’s story

Lance Muscara struggled with alcohol addiction for much of his adult life. It impacted his career, marriage and relationships with friends and family. After hitting rock bottom and almost taking his own life, Lance chose Main Line Health's Mirmont Treatment Center for inpatient alcohol rehabilitation. Today, Lance lives a life in recovery and has dedicated his career to increasing access to life-saving alcohol treatment programs for others.

Losing a battle to alcohol addiction

In 2010, Lance was losing his battle to alcohol addiction. He had known for years that he was an alcoholic, but he wasn't ready to admit it. Drinking was causing him to become increasingly withdrawn from his friends and family. His career, marriage and relationships were all failing.

Lance would make frequent "trips to the hardware store," which were excuses to stop at the liquor store to buy alcohol. One time he recalls pulling over to hide an empty bottle before returning home, and the next thing he remembers is waking up in a hospital six hours later.

A social worker connected him with an alcohol treatment center. Lance completed the inpatient detox program and began attending support groups. He set up a sponsor and tried to follow the 12 steps of addiction recovery, but he struggled to stay consistent.

"I wanted to stop drinking. To me, that's what sobriety was. Later I would discover it is so much more. You have to change everything," says Lance.

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Hitting rock bottom and finding support

By 2014, Lance was living what he calls a "double life," which included week-long binge drinking followed by stints in and out of alcohol treatment programs.

He was arrested six times and charged with three DUIs in a span of four months. The day he hit rock bottom, he contemplated suicide by walking in front of a train but called a friend who talked him out of it and ultimately saved his life.

"People were always there to help me, even when I couldn't help myself. No one ever truly gave up on me," says Lance.

Two days later, Lance completed one last detox in a hospital and chose to enter inpatient alcohol rehabilitation at Mirmont Treatment Center, in Media, PA. This time, he felt different.

"They always say that you need to completely surrender to your addiction to recover, and I was finally at the point where I was ready to do that," recalls Lance.

Alcohol dependence treatment at Mirmont Treatment Center

Lance spent three weeks in inpatient alcohol treatment at Mirmont, part of Main Line Health. A typical day included a large morning assembly to set the stage for the day, followed by small group sessions that focused on self-reflection, behavioral strategies and emotional healing.

"The small group format with a therapist and five or six of us was very helpful," recalls Lance. "I could learn from other peoples' struggles and experiences. We ate lunch at the same table and spent time together outside of therapy, so there was a real bond with them."

In addition to therapeutic treatment, Lance took advantage of the integrative therapies Mirmont offers to support patients in their recovery.

"I liked the yoga, meditation, exercise room, basketball court and softball games at night," says Lance. "The physical, mental and spiritual aspects of treatment were just as important as the therapeutic ones."

Above all, Lance recalls Mirmont being a comforting environment with compassionate and caring staff members who were always happy to engage in a conversation and offer words of support and encouragement.

"The staff were available, willing and friendly you couldn't ask for better," says Lance. "I was sad to go."

Beginning a life in recovery

After being discharged from Mirmont, Lance continued his recovery with extended care and an intensive outpatient program (IOP). This continuum of care helped him practice his recovery skills in the real world, while still having a safety net of professional support.

"It was my only shot to live, honestly. I didn't know what would happen, but if I wanted to live, I had to commit to this," says Lance.

Lance made significant progress in his recovery, but a court date for his prior arrests and DUIs was still looming over his head. On the day of his sentencing, he was ordered to serve seven months in jail. According to Lance, it was the best thing that could have happened to him.

"Jail taught me to live one day at a time that's the place where I finally learned to be able to do it," says Lance.

After being released, Lance networked with old colleagues and began doing remote work for a firm in Morgantown, WV. Little did he know, his recovery journey and professional life were about to align in ways he never imagined.

Improving access to alcohol treatment programs

Lance wanted to relocate from Philadelphia to Morgantown permanently, but he knew he needed to get plugged into the recovery community before moving. He connected with a new sponsor, established a home support group and sought out healthy social opportunities including a softball team.

After relocating, a friend introduced Lance to Ascension Recovery Services, an organization that operates behavioral health treatment centers like addiction recovery facilities. Lance began working with Ascension, and later went on to partner with recovery associates to establish an architecture firm focused on designing substance use disorder (SUD) facilities.

"My personal story has helped me understand how a well-designed physical environment helps foster a positive recovery environment," says Lance.

Today, 90% of Lance's work is recovery-related, including inpatient rehabilitation centers, outpatient centers and sober living facilities. In addition to this deeply meaningful professional work, Lance has rebuilt his family life and relationships and is blessed with his wife of six years, children and grandchildren.

"I have the ability to develop facilities that make beds available to get people into treatment," says Lance. "If I can help someone access the care that saved my life, then hopefully I can play a role in saving theirs."

Next steps

Every recovery journey begins with the first step. Learn how Mirmont Treatment Center supports recovery by offering support tailored to the topics most important to you, such as:

• Food as medicine
• Financial literacy
• Dual diagnosis care

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