Life After Rehab

The few belongings Derek Taylor, 28, was able to bring to
substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation at 12&12
Inc. in Tulsa, Okla., occupy a few narrow feet of space
as he waits for his uncle to pick him up on March 24, 2010.

A brief graduation ceremony is held in this auditorium
each morning wherein clients leaving treatment are given the
opportunity to speak to their peers and thank the
personal counselor who oversaw their recovery while
at 12&12. Three others graduated with Taylor. In treatment,
counselors and support personnel emphasize to clients
that there is a 90 percent chance of relapse after leaving.

Taylor, a former college student studying political
science, was arrested while napping in his truck at
an Oklahoma casino between rounds of a poker
tournament. Taylor was given a field sobriety
test, which he failed. His truck was searched and
paraphernalia and marijuana were found. Taylor injured
his knee as a teenager and says he smoked marijuana
to help manage the pain. He explains his history with narcotics
and his life growing up outside of the Oxford halfway house
in Norman, Okla., he moved into after rehab.

After growing up in California, Taylor moved to Oklahoma
to help care for his grandmother. His immediate family disowned
him at the age of 15 after he renounced organized religion
and became agnostic. Taylor loads his things into his uncle's minivan.

On the advice of his attorney, Taylor opted for community sentencing.
As part of the program, Taylor sees a counselor on a weekly basis.
His counselor's office is in the Tonhawa Building, in Norman.

Taylor is also required to attend several Narcotics
Anonymous meetings throughout the week. One of
the NA groups who meet in Norman, Tools of Recovery,
is more structured and rule-guided than other groups
Taylor has attended, he said.

Substance abuse recovery groups use guiding principles
in addition to the Twelve Steps as a tool to help addicts
change negative thinking. This quote was written on a
dry-erase board in the auditorium where Taylor graduated
from treatment.

* * *

I began this project with the intention of capturing the reality of addiction. I wanted to show that it's more common than many people believe it to be, and that many addicts are functioning members of society plagued with a disease, as recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous refer to addiction.

Overcoming addiction is a very private process, and many addicts are ashamed of the lives they led before recovery. Though several addicts expressed an interest in allowing me to photograph them as part of this assignment, they were unreachable when it came time to actually do so. The pictures above were taken in two shoots.

What I've learned from this experience is to shoot everything you can while you have the opportunity. Don't assume you'll get the chance to come back because extenuating circumstances may prevent you from doing so.

Also, ALWAYS have a plan B that can be put into action quickly, and use it if it comes down to it. It doesn't hurt to have the extra pictures, but it will hurt to come up empty-handed.

Don't rely on your subjects to answer your phone calls, texts, e-mails, etc. Sometimes it just doesn't happen.

I was absolutely crushed that I was unable to complete this assignment to the best of my ability. I was excited to undertake this project, and I had very high expectations and hopes for a powerful piece. And it just didn't happen. I guess sometimes these things are just out of your control.