Former Manasquan Police Officer Talks About Finding Sobriety

MANASQUAN, NJ — Brian Gillespie is a retired Manasquan police officer and U.S. Marine.

And he's made it his life mission to help U.S. military veterans, police officers and first responders like himself achieve sobriety from alcohol and drugs.

This Saturday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. And more than 3.9 million veterans in America have a substance use disorder, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

"Alcohol addiction is not unique to police officers or law enforcement. But there is a heavy drinking culture in the police force," said Gillespie, who is fourth-generation law enforcement and fourth-generation military as well. "You work the midnight tour and then everyone's like, 'Hey, let's go to Kelly's (a well-known Neptune bar) for kegs and eggs.' Police think nothing of being in the bar for a couple hours after their shift."

He said alcohol was also very prevalent when he was training to be a U.S. Marine.

"I drank every day when I was in the Marines and at the same time I was in the best shape of my life," he said. "In the Marine Corps you never let anyone know you have a problem. You don't cry, you don't complain. You are 17, 18 and away from home for the first time in your life and you are around a lot of other young, impressionable men. We drank all night and as long as you were there at 5 a.m. to run in formation, you're good to go."

Gillespie, now 59, retired from Manasquan PD in 2010 and started working as a security officer for Rutgers. It was around that time that he realized he was no longer as "in control" of his drinking as thought he once was.

"It was while I was working for Rutgers that I realized I needed help. I struggled with alcohol: Some days were great, some days were not so great. I know I put on a good façade and nobody could ever tell. And it wasn't like I drank often, or daily, but when I did drink, I drank a lot. I realized I had issues with binge drinking. And with the alcoholism came the depression, things that happened in my childhood, in the military that I had never resolved."

Gillespie said it can be very difficult for police officers and first responders to admit they need help.

"When I first started going to AA meetings, I drove to a meeting 35 miles away from my house for the first 11 months," he said. "As a first responder, it's difficult to trust people and it's extremely difficult to ask for help — you're a police officer, you're a Marine, you're known in your community."

Gillespie has been sober since May 17, 2015.

Finding sobriety was so profound that he stopped working as a security officer and became a supervising mental health counselor at a 24/7 support line for veterans and law enforcement at Rutgers Behavioral Health. He now works in the veterans' addiction treatment unit of Recovery Centers of America at Raritan Bay in South Amboy. It's called the RESCU (Recovering Emergency Service Community United) and it's one of the few addiction treatment centers in the U.S. that offers a special recovery program just for first responders.

"Next week we will clear 300 first responders — police, fire, EMS, corrections officers and military veterans — all of whom first entered our program in June 2021," he said proudly.

Gillespie said he always wants to be there for anyone in law enforcement, military or a first responder who needs help.

"Turning to the bottle for law enforcement is very easy for us. Seeking help is not easy. The first thing I always say to someone who is interested in coming to us is it's awesome, because they made the very first step by admitting they have a problem," he said.

"If you need help or are curious about getting help, I beg these young men and women or their families to call me or email me. My cell phone is 732-921-7411 and email is bgillespie@recoverycoa.com Seriously, just call me. We feel like nobody else understands the struggles we're going through. And I want to make sure is you are not alone, there are others out there."

Learn more about RESCU (Recovering Emergency Service Community United), a confidential addiction recovery program to exclusively help first responders, correctional officers, and military service members, both active and retired, to overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol.

If you or a loved one are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and need help, the staff at Recovery Centers of America is available 24/7. Call 1-844-5-RCA-NOW (844-722-2669) for help today. Or for more information, visit RecoveryCentersofAmerica.com