Monday, May 13, 2013

Getting back to Work

This morning a former resident, a man who’d spent several years at TLC, had his picture posted on the Maricopa County Sheriff's website. He was booked for extreme DUI – one of several he's received over the years. The best bet among those who know about such things is that he's probably going to prison this time.

This is a man who spent two tours in our Hard Six program. Each time he had a pressing need to get back to work. Work was the issue for him. He needed to make money. He had financial obligations. And on and on…

He’s an outstanding example of someone who’s never identified the real issue: his alcoholism. Each time he's gone down the same path.

His pattern has been to work very hard at his job. No one ever has questions about his ability. He contributes to every project he's involved in. But eventually, he finds a rationale that involves leaving the security of the program before he’s ready. And the next thing you hear, he's drunk.

One thing he won't have to worry about when he gets to prison is finding work. The warden always needs help in the maintenance department.