Friday, September 6, 2013

Jobless & Homeless

This week a staff member came to the office and suggested we give our cook a drug test - that he smelled like alcohol.

And sure enough, when he was confronted with the prospect of giving us a urine sample he admitted he'd been drinking.  That he couldn't pass a test. Then he was told to pack his belongings and leave the program. Which he did.

His relapse shows what happens when clients focus on work to the exclusion of everything else. When this man came to us he had a long resume as a professional chef, having worked in leading hotels around the Valley. Along with it he had a lengthy resume as an alcoholic who’d lost jobs because of drinking.

Much of his conversation in therapy was about his urgent need to resume his career, to get back on track and earn money. But he never knew how to respond to those who’d ask why he'd gotten drunk in the first place if all he needed was a job. Somehow he never seemed to connect the dots.

When he was confronted about his poor attendance at 12-step meetings and his lack of focus on recovery he’d shrug his shoulders and smile.

To us it was inevitable that he’d relapse because he wasn’t looking at his real issue.  So we weren't shocked when it happened.