When it first happened, I thought like I was the only one, which seemed ridiculous to think.

But like I did.

I was like, it must just because we have the mutual friend or whatever. Like if he did this all the time, he wouldn't own a treatment center.

So what I found out that like as I'm hush hush over here,

this is like a known thing that he does around the female recovery community of new

Hampshire and Maine um I definitely got my wheels turning as to how and why he's still there

um without a tarnish on his name I don't know the only things I could think of were like

aggression and money.

That was the only two things that ever get people's silence, if you will.

Like fear. It's fear-based.

It's either fear or he's keeping your lights on.

This is the 13th step. I'm Lauren Chulgin.

How did Eric Spofford get away with it? Elizabeth, who you just heard, isn't the only person whose wheels have been turning on that question. I've spent the last few years trying to answer it.

How is it possible that the CEO of an addiction treatment center allegedly harasses and abuses employees and former clients, and the only sort of accountability he seems to face is a few

people quit? Let's get one small piece of the answer out of the way.

As far as I can tell, no one reported Eric Spofford to the police. This is not surprising. I mean,

most people don't call the police to report sexual misconduct. That's a well-documented fact.

And people who have used drugs don't usually see the police

as helpful. Their drug use is illegal. Police officers often equal arrests and jail. So all this to say,

the police were not coming. But the police shouldn't be our only chance at accountability here,

especially given the stakes

of the problem. Substance use disorder is a public health emergency, a thing politicians tell us

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