![\"Dot](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/Dot-Mooney.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDuring the 1950s, a Statesboro, Ga., family was struggling to battle their addictions to drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
At the time, Dr. John and Dot Mooney probably couldn\u2019t have imagined that their spiral into addiction would result in sobriety. Their personal lifelong journey was one that would create hope and open the doors of healing for thousands of patients around the world.<\/p>\n
Today, the Mooney children \u2013 Dr. Al, Jimmy, Dr. Bobby and Carol Lind \u2014 have continued the powerful legacy begun by their late parents, the founders of Willingway Hospital. The Mooneys have committed their lives to helping people battle drug and alcohol addictions with the same compassionate care as their parents.<\/p>\n
By all appearances, the Mooneys were a picture-perfect family. However, what many outsiders didn\u2019t know was that they were harboring a destructive secret: drug and alcohol addiction. After many years of struggling with substance abuse, Dr. John and Dot gained sobriety. From that moment forward, the couple was determined to help others rebuild their lives.<\/p>\n
For the next several years, the Mooneys\u2019 Statesboro home became a temporary boarding house and detox unit while they were raising their family. While the Mooney family grew, so did the number of addicts arriving at their front door. Patients were treated as extended members of the family, and at one time, 26 people lived in their house on Lee Street. Winning the battle against substance abuse was a big step. Helping addicts gain sobriety was even bigger. The next step would prove to be the biggest.<\/p>\n
In 1971, the Mooneys opened Willingway Hospital, the first free-standing specialty hospital treating drug and alcohol addiction in the state of Georgia. Today, the licensed medical facility has treated more than 20,000 patients from all around the world and has gained a reputation as one of the top treatment centers in the nation. With 125 people on staff, including two full-time physicians and a nurse practitioner \u2014 patients receive round-the-clock care in the 40-bed facility. Although Willingway has seen its share of growth through the decades, one constant has remained: the family-oriented atmosphere from its humble beginnings on Lee Street.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"John](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/John-Mooney.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
A FAMILY LEGACY<\/strong><\/p>\n Jimmy, Carol Lind, Dr. Al and Dr. Bobby Mooney grew up in Statesboro surrounded by people struggling with addiction. Their parents, Dr. John and Dot Mooney (at left) opened their home on Lee Street to dozens of addicts over the years. Today, the Mooney children are continuing the family legacy through their work at what has become Willingway Hospital.<\/p>\n JIMMY MOONEY<\/strong><\/p>\n Georgia Southern alumnus Jimmy Mooney (\u201885) always remembers his father\u2019s simple words: \u201cTrouble is an alcoholic\u2019s best friend.\u201d Willingway\u2019s board chairman has taken those words to heart, having seen the faces of addiction, and also been one of them. For more than 25 years, he has been sober, and also has played a pivotal role in helping Willingway\u2019s patients overcome their troubles and gain sobriety.<\/p>\n Jimmy began working at Willingway in 1980 as the data processing manager, followed by positions including accounts payable manager, business director, administrator and CEO. Through the years, he has supported his parents\u2019 philosophy of providing a caring, family-oriented environment, which he believes is a big reason for the hospital\u2019s success today. Jimmy revealed that Willingway\u2019s abstinence-based approach also puts the hospital at the forefront of other treatment facilities around the nation.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is for our patients to be truly chemical-free. Our focus is to motivate and educate patients as well as getting them involved in the 12-step recovery after treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A licensed specialty hospital, Willingway offers a full continuum of services. \u201cThis includes medically managed detox, residential treatment, outpatient services, intensive family program and extended care for people who have had a difficult time staying sober,\u201d said Jimmy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe length of stay is one of the most important factors in adequate treatment,\u201d said Jimmy. The average stay at Willingway is approximately five weeks; however, that varies for each individual. \u201cDifferent people have different needs \u2014both inpatient and outpatient,\u201d he added. In fact, Willingway recently opened a new outpatient program as well as a program for patients who need long-term treatment of a year or more, he revealed.<\/p>\n Besides educating patients, the Willingway Foundation has provided educational opportunities since the early 1980s for the medical community, in hopes of raising awareness about addictions. \u201cWe have a great relationship with Georgia Southern and students from the School of Nursing have rotated through Willingway as part of their education in order to get a good overall experience of what happens in treatment. I think it is very important for the medical community to recognize the signs of addiction in their patients,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWorking in this field is about helping people and this can come about in a lot of different ways,\u201d he said. Since 2002, Jimmy and his wife Robbin have been invited by MusiCares, a foundation supporting the music industry, to volunteer their services in the Safe Harbor Room at many award shows. The couple host 12-step meetings in the hospitality room, an alcohol- and drug-free refuge for performers and staff for several days leading up to the show.<\/p>\n \u201cAt these award shows, it is hard for people to get to a meeting,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Safe Harbor Room is a lifeline and a supportive network that helps workers and performers,\u201d he said. The couple regularly volunteers in hospitality rooms at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Calif., the Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tenn., the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Nev., and other shows.<\/p>\n Last year, Jimmy was honored for his commitment to helping alcoholics and drug addicts achieve sobriety by the Georgia Hospital Association. He was presented with the Georgia Hospital Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award, and was the only individual in the state to receive the prestigious honor. \u201cI was very honored,\u201d he said humbly, but he feels his accomplishments were possible because of one person: his father. \u201cOur family and Willingway are here and doing what we\u2019re doing because my dad stood before a judge and was sentenced to two years of hard labor for his addictions. For people dealing with addiction, the things that appear to be bad are really the best things to happen. That\u2019s what motivates people to change.\u201d<\/p>\n DR. AL MOONEY<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Al Mooney is a rarity in his family. Although he has lived his entire life in recovery with his parents and siblings, he is the only Mooney who has never suffered an addiction to drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n Al, the president of the Willingway Foundation, is a family physician, addiction specialist and a pioneer in the field of addiction medicine, having helped establish the certification standards for the specialty while serving on the board of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.<\/p>\n He lives in Raleigh, N.C., and in his passion for helping addicts, he has applied the Willingway philosophy to a different segment of people, with a great degree of success. Al is the medical director for The Healing Place, a recovery and rehab facility serving Raleigh\u2019s homeless who are suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. \u201cWe have a similar recovery path designed to help the homeless,\u201d he said. \u201cMentoring and education is the platform, and a large part of this is risk management, and helping people maintain a drug-free life.\u201d<\/p>\n Before moving to North Carolina, Al served as the medical director at Willingway. In 1992, he co-authored The Recovery Book<\/em> with Arlene Eisenberg, co-author of the What to Expect When You\u2019re Expecting<\/em> books, and medical journalist Howard Eisenberg.<\/p>\n The Recovery Book<\/em> is the first book to explain exactly what a recovering addict and his or her family will face during every stage of living clean and sober. Some of the topics include withdrawal, sleep problems, exercise, support groups and anxiety. \u201cThis book is a type of Scout manual for recovery, and is a companion to the 12-step literature,\u201d he explained. \u201cAfter your life is saved in recovery, it\u2019s time to do something with the life you\u2019ve saved. Look at your relationships, your career and school,\u201d he said. The second edition of The Recovery Book<\/em> is slated for publication in 2014.<\/p>\n \u201cMore lives are lost every year due to alcohol and drugs, and it\u2019s my job to make the medical profession aware of these diseases. It\u2019s a hard sell, but if we can empower people to not spend their money on drugs, we will be saving lives.\u201d<\/p>\n CAROL LIND MOONEY<\/strong><\/p>\n When Carol Lind Mooney (\u201892) was growing up, she recalls vivid images of her parents helping addicts recover in their family home in Statesboro. \u201cI shared my room with women who were coming out of detox. There were so many people living in our house, that I had to step over people sleeping on the floor,\u201d said the youngest Mooney sibling.<\/p>\n \u201cThis way of life was normal, and it was full of honesty, sharing and kindness. It was a wonderful environment to grow up in. Even though I saw what alcohol and drugs did to people, I still took my first drink at the age of 12,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Sober since 1982, Carol Lind has received her certification as an addiction counselor, worked at Willingway, graduated from Mercer Law School and opened a private law practice. In 1997, she purchased the Mooney family home on Lee Street and opened the residence as an independent halfway house for women. Another residence is Louie\u2019s House \u2013 a men\u2019s halfway house — named for a Willingway counselor who represented a positive influence in her life.<\/p>\n Today, Carol Lind operates several halfway houses in the Statesboro area and provides scholarship beds for residents. During the recovery process, some of the residents are also able to work at her equestrian farm, Mill Creek Ponies.<\/p>\n \u201cMy program lasts anywhere from one to two years for up to 30 women,\u201d she said about the women\u2019s halfway houses. Ninety-five percent of the residents live outside the state of Georgia \u2013 from areas such as Washington, D.C., New York and New Jersey. Residents of the halfway houses are typically in their mid-20s, and some are Georgia Southern students who have successfully turned their lives around. In fact, several former residents have completed medical, pharmacy and law school and others are currently attending veterinary school. \u201cI always stress that I want them to make a difference somewhere and be the best they can possibly be,\u201d said Carol Lind.<\/p>\n Nearly nine years ago, Carol Lind used her legal expertise to successfully establish the drug courts in Georgia\u2019s Bulloch and Effingham counties. \u201cThe drug court is a way for a person to get their record wiped clean after they have successfully completed outpatient treatment, drug screens and daily meetings. I was able to take Willingway\u2019s philosophy into the justice system,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Always looking for ways to help addicts, Carol Lind recently founded a 90-day men\u2019s program just last month. \u201cPeople are falling through the cracks, and this is a niche we don\u2019t have,\u201d she said about the halfway house which also incorporates outpatient treatment at Willingway.<\/p>\n \u201cMy basic values and principles are ingrained from my parents. I have always felt the need to do something for others. It\u2019s a way of life and a floating philosophy that goes wherever you take it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Jimmy and Robbin Mooney with Harold Owens, the senior director of MusiCares at the Academy of Country Music Awards.<\/p>\n DR. BOBBY MOONEY<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI love alcoholics and drug addicts,\u201d said Dr. Bobby Mooney, Willingway\u2019s medical director. \u201cThere\u2019s something magical about people who have recovered from alcoholism and drug addiction; there\u2019s an aspect to their life that is very rewarding and I\u2019ve always been attracted to that,\u201d he explained about his career of choice and life commitment.<\/p>\n Since the age of six, Bobby has experienced the recovery of many patients treated at the Mooney family home, and many years later, he frequently sees them around Statesboro. Often, several members of the same family have received treatment. \u201cWe recently had a grandfather, father and son — three generations \u2014 who celebrated their sobriety at Willingway,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The third son in the family, Bobby\u2019s original career path was photography. A graduate of the Rochester Institute, he began working at Willingway in 1977, and designed the audio visual studios at the hospital. \u201cI\u2019ve been sober since 1977, and I began taking a much more active role at Willingway,\u201d he mentioned, beginning with gaining his certification in counseling.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter my dad died, I knew I wanted to make a more significant contribution to Willingway. I had become aware of the important role the physician occupied in the treatment process and after being out of school for 10 years, I decided to return to school in an attempt to enter medical school. I enrolled at Georgia Southern to complete my pre-med requirements. The support I received from the faculty was instrumental in my eventual success.\u201d While at Georgia Southern, Bobby founded the pre-med club and was accepted at Mercer University School of Medicine. He then completed a residency in psychiatry at East Tennessee State University before returning to Willingway in 1995 as medical director.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been truly blessed to be a part of the legacy of my parents. This field requires a great deal of patience, tolerance and compassion. At Willingway, patients can feel accepted and loved, and it makes a big difference in their recovery. The whole recovery process involves patients learning about addiction as an illness and also about themselves, and what they need to do differently,\u201d Bobby added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe patients have to learn to live sober. For some of them, it has been 30 or 40 years since their brain has been chemically free. A lot of tears, anger and emotional issues have been buried for years. Our goal is to give a person the very best chance of recovery during treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n THE CENTER FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY<\/strong><\/p>\n Willingway\u2019s progressive vision of reaching out to younger generations includes the founding of the Center for Addiction Recovery (CAR). Housed in the University\u2019s Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, the CAR helps recovering students gain college admission, stay on track toward graduation and regain their lives.<\/p>\n After Bobby\u2019s visit to a similar addiction recovery program at Texas Tech, the Mooneys were inspired to create the Center at Georgia Southern. Nearly five years ago, the CAR opened, and the Willingway Foundation provides complete financial support for its operation. Director Emily Eisenhart works with approximately 40 students, who have achieved a 3.5 average GPA. Students have attended leadership retreats, participated in community service projects and shared their inspiring stories of recovery with other members of the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe saw a real need with some of our patients at the hospital who dropped out of college because of their addiction, or could not get enrolled in school because of their problems,\u201d said Jimmy. \u201cWe wanted to help integrate students in the community, and the Center facilitates a student\u2019s admission to the University as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"Champions](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/recovery-614.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n
\n![\"willingway-award\"](\"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/willingway-award.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n