COM Outlook Winter 2019

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY | 9 t he topic of drug addiction has been the theme of count- less books, movies, and documentaries—and for good reason. Everyone from world-famous celebrities to ordinary citizens has battled, overcome, or succumbed to his or her compulsions. It’s a universal topic that has impacted, and continues to impact, the lives of all those involved. While the origins of drug addiction can be linked to many factors, one thing is certain: It’s a uniquely personal experience that causes despair for those close to the users and wreaks personal and professional havoc on the addicts themselves. Just ask J Foster Chapman, Sr., D.O., a 2006 NSU Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM) graduate. Chapman, a recovering opioid addict, grew up in a poor South Florida community. Drugs were com- monplace in his neighborhood, as well as in his home. “My next-door neighbor’s place and the apartment complex across the street were crack houses,” he said. I’ve woken up to find men I didn’t know, who were passed out and bloody from a fight, on my front yard or on my bedroom floor. There was so much mari- juana around that I honestly didn’t know pot was illegal until my father sat me down and told me when I was about 10 years old.” It seemed to Chapman that everyone in his child- hood universe was abusing drugs, and so he began smoking pot at age 12. An addictive personality compounded the problem, he added. “I believe that I was born this way. Looking back on my pre-using childhood, I was already displaying addict behavior.” Despite his less-than-idyllic childhood, Chapman knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. “I became interested in medicine from my mom, a registered nurse who worked in a gastrointestinal lab,” he explained. “She would take me to work with her if she couldn’t find a babysitter. By the age of five, I could name the entire gastro- intestinal tract.” Several years later, a ride in a physician’s Lexus intensified his intention to attend medical school. “We didn’t always have enough food to eat,” Chapman said. “I used to dig through dumpsters for spare change and scavenge for aluminum to recycle. That’s why being in the presence of moderate luxury, like a ride in a Lexus, was such a seminal moment in my childhood. I got to see how ‘the other half’ lived, so that 20-minute car ride changed my life.” Although his goal of becoming a physician was a comforting plan to escape the misery of his youth, Chapman knew he was sabotaging his chances of getting into medical school by smoking copious amounts of weed. “Once I realized I wouldn’t reach my goal of becoming a physician if I didn’t change my behavior, I abstained from smoking pot until I went to college.” After earning his A.A. degree from Palm Beach Community College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and his B.S. in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Chapman em- barked on his medical school career at NSU-KPCOM. Drug Woes Worsen The hiatus did not last. By the time he began attend- ing KPCOM classes in 2002, Chapman was a self- described “functional addict” who was smoking pot and drinking during the school week and engaging in Left to right: J Foster Chapman celebrates receiving his KPCOM acceptance letter in 2002; his 2006 graduation photo; Chapman attends a military physician’s conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 2011. “There was so much marijuana around that I honestly didn’t know pot was illegal until my father sat me down and told me … .” — J Foster Chapman, Sr.