Thursday, October 6, 2011

Be Like the Sober

A TLC client who'd had a run in with one of our managers said "I'm not your average client. I’m not like these other guys." He went on to explain that he "had a trade" and had "owned things."    He wanted to make sure I knew his background because he felt one of our managers hadn't treated him with the respect he was due when he was confronted for being irresponsible.

Of course I followed with a question about if he was doing so well before, what was he doing at TLC? And, as I expected, he didn't have an answer.

My experience has been that alcoholics and addicts who feel they're somehow “different” or “better” are usually in trouble. If I'm "different" then I might think I can successfully drink or drug. I think it's important for me to figure out how I'm like others in the program- not different.  I want to be like those in the rooms who have years of sobriety. I don’t care whether they’re Ph.Ds. or ditch diggers – rich or poor. If they have peace and serenity then that’s where I want to be.

My brother, who died of alcoholism at 60 years, would come back from meetings and say "I'm not like those guys." And, of course, he was thinking of a time before he'd lost everything and ended up in an old pickup in the streets of Bullhead City, Arizona.  He died six months after leaving TLC, still thinking he could successfully drink and drug.

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