Alcoholic Climbs From Bottom of Bottle

Jordan Williams, staff writer

Toren Volkmann graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at the University of San Diego. He was also a volunteer in the Peace Corps and came from a fairly well-off family. He has two older brothers who he looks up to with respect. His father is a doctor, and his mother is a former teacher. There was just one secret that he hid in his perfect life, and that he is an alcoholic.

Volkmann, who spoke during a program presented by Student Health Services, Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery, the Student Counseling Center and Recreational Sports, on Sept. 21 at Texas Tech University, began drinking when he was 15. What started as high school, experimentation soon developed into an addiction. Before he graduated from high school, he was kicked off of four sports teams due to various alcohol-related incidents. He also began experiencing blackouts.

When Volkmann enrolled at the University of San Diego, he was arrested several times. By the end of his freshman year, a counselor told him that he thought he had a serious problem. Volkmann was advised to attend 10 AA meetings during the summer.

Volkmann said, “I went to my first meeting, but would not admit that I was an alcoholic.” He only attended two or three meetings.

When school started back in the fall, Volkmann was not allowed on certain parts of the campus and was soon kicked out of the dorms. His parents were not aware of their son's actions while he was away at college.

During Volkmann’s junior year, he began to notice a change in his body. After drinking all weekend, he would spend many Sunday nights wide awake. He would then begin to feel a mild shake in his body on Monday. He would get fevers and sweats, but he would ignore the signs and would not get help.

“I knew my body did not feel right, but I would not get up and admit myself to the hospital,” Volkmann said.

Amazingly enough, he still got good grades and graduated from college as a full-blown alcoholic. His parents still did not know about their son’s secret.

In January 2003, he joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to Paraguay. After continuing to experience frequent blackouts and many sleepless nights, it was then he realized he had a serious problem. He turned to a Peace Corps nurse for help.

Volkmann said, “I was sick of being sick.”

Soon after, he began his recovery process. He had to admit to himself that he was an alcoholic. He was prescribed Valium for the pain of detox. He left the Peace Corps and went into rehab in Washington D.C.

“I was ready for a change,” he said.

After finishing rehab, he went and lived in a halfway house for about six months. Upon kicking his addiction, Volkmann left rehab and moved to New York City.

It was there that his life took off. He felt like he did not have to go out and socialize anymore. He could walk into a bar and not have to drink. He never wanted to drink again.

His mother, Chris Volkmann summed up the experience by saying “the consequences finally caught up with him.”

Volkmann has been sober for two years. He said, “Life can be awesome without alcohol.”

He added that his family was really supportive in his recovery process and considers his parents as his biggest influence to stop drinking.

Volkmann and his mother also presented some statistics and facts about binge drinking:

-Two thirds of adults drink.

-One third of high school seniors are heavy drinkers.

-Americans over the age of 14 drink 2.54 gallons of pure alcohol per year.

- Twenty percent of people who sample alcohol become dependent.

-Nearly 16 percent of teens have experienced blackouts.

-One third of college students have alcohol disorders, and percent meet clinical criteria for dependency.

-In 1993, 39 percent of Americans said they drink to get drunk, 48.2 percent in 2001.

-Alcohol kills six times more youths than all other drugs combined.

-About 1,400 alcohol related deaths occur on college campuses in one year.

Chris Volkmann said in order to save a drinker he or she must have a desire to stop drinking. He or she must also be educated about the effects of chronic heavy drinking.

“Never give up on somebody you care about who is drinking,” she said.

Toren Volkmann advised people to talk with friends, family, strangers, and to use your resources at school.

“I had love and support from family and friends who cared,” he said.

He also contributes his success to luck, education, readiness, and effort.

“There are great resources everywhere,” Toren Volkmann said.

Volkmann and his mother spread their message to college students and high school students around the country. They want to share their experiences about this not-so-hidden-epidemic.

Toren and his mother Chris have written a book together called “Our Drink: Detoxing the Perfect Family.”

Toren Volkmann talks openly and honestly about alcohol choices and the consequences of heavy drinking. Chris shares what every parent thinks but cannot always say.

Also included in the book are assessments for family members to find out how well they are communicating about drinking choices with separate questions for teens and adults, and also assessment tools to determine if someone has a drinking problem.

For more information on Chris and Toren Volkmann, visit their website at www.ourdrink.com.