The Beating Heart of the Business
Understanding substance dependence is complex. And telling someone who wants to quit, to 'just do it' - like the Nike catch phrase - well, it's not all that easy.
This is what you’ll hear from Dr Chris Davis - GP, Addiction Specialist, and Co-Founder of Clean Slate Clinic.
Chris is happy to talk about topics that are right under our noses, that we may deeply misunderstand. Things like drug and alcohol dependence, treatment options, the case for pill-testing, and adding labels to indicate that alcohol causes cancer and can lead to death.
They are discussions that many shy away from - possibly due to shame and stigma, but Chris believes these conversations are essential for creating meaningful change.
Growing up in a family of seven nurses in Liverpool, England, it might have seemed inevitable that Chris would end up in healthcare. But the path that led him to co-found Clean Slate Clinic was anything but predetermined.
As a young lad, Chris grew up surrounded by a big family with lots of aunties and uncles, and a big clan of cousins. As he grew older, and came to terms with his identity in a town that held traditional values, Chris often felt the fear of judgment and experienced firsthand what it felt like to live under the weight of societal stigma.
"My experience growing up gay in a fairly religious, homophobic town, shaped me. It helped me not to judge anybody, because I was always very fearful of being judged myself."
This 'no-judgement' philosophy would become the cornerstone of Chris' future as a GP and addiction specialist, where his skills of empathy and understanding would prove to be just as important as his clinical expertise.
It was during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic that Chris noticed a growing pattern emerging in his GP practice - a sharp increase in alcohol dependence, coupled with a lack of accessible support services. Rather than simply observing this crisis, Chris became curious about how to respond to both the barriers that were in place to seek treatment, as well as the stigma preventing people from reaching out for help.
He responded by beginning to offer a telehealth detox service to support people in the comfort of their homes."What I found was that people didn't have to repeat their story to different doctors and nurses. I would help them in their recovery journey from an environment where they felt safe and comfortable. They would engage. And the outcomes were fantastic."
Seeing the positive impact on his patients, Chris collaborated with Chris Raine - founder and CEO of Hello Sunday Morning, and Pia Clinton-Tarestad, who had just left her role as a partner at Deloitte, to forge a new option for clients seeking to curb their substance dependence.
Dr Chris and his team developed evidence-based protocols that have now helped over 1000 Australians successfully complete their detox journey from home.
Clean Slate isn't built on rigid abstinence principles and Chris himself enjoys the occasional drink, but he's deeply aware of alcohol's complex role in Australian society. "I just got offered a beer at 9am in the morning getting a haircut" he told his team one morning - "I promise I said no." But jokes aside, he realises that the extent to which alcohol is embedded in Australian culture is something that needs to be addressed at a government level.
Approximately 2 million Australians suffer from alcohol dependency, which is staggering. Alcohol is present at almost every milestone and occasion - whether celebrating sports victories or mourning losses. And the pervasiveness of alcohol in our culture extends to everyday activities too, from camping and fishing to simple dinner gatherings.
Clean Slate Clinic has grown steadily since its inception just four years ago, with Chris as the beating heart of the business. As CEO Pia will attest "Chris is just the pinnacle of what it is to be a good human. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He doesn't have anything other than pure intent. And he's just so wonderful as a friend, as a business partner, as a leader. And he inspires every single person in the organisation to be a better human and to focus on the good in people and to stay focused on what matters."
No judgement seems to be the recurring thread when speaking to his staff, and it appears that Chris is the glue that binds the company together. There is a deep, deep admiration for Chris from his business partners, patients, and colleagues.
"He is someone who can see potential in people even when they can't see it themselves." says Pia. "And it's this combination of clinical rigour and profound empathy that makes his approach so effective."
As Clean Slate Clinic continues to grow and evolve, Dr Chris Davis remains committed to his vision of making evidence-based treatment for substance dependence more accessible, understanding, and effective.
From his upbringing in Liverpool from a family of seven nurses, the lineage was there, and I guess it wasn’t a far walk to think he went on to practice medicine. But becoming a pioneer in telehealth addiction treatment in Australia, shows that sometimes the most meaningful changes come from not just the clinically trained, but those who understand first hand the importance of compassion and the power of non-judgmental care.
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