Rigorous Honesty?

“They are naturally incapable of grasping a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty."  from the 12-step literature.

A former client who’s been at TLC several times called yesterday, wanting to come back.  However, we turned him down because he’s been never been able to stay sober with us. He left each time to return to the bottle. We don’t think we can help him.

It was hard to turn him down because he’s very convincing. He promised several times during his call that he’d complete our Hard Six program. However, each time he's relapsed and returned he's promised the same thing.

 After he's with us a few months and starts feeling healthier he suddenly thinks he can make it on his own.  He also gets involved with women who are users. He wants to "save them," even though he can’t stay sober himself.

The sad thing is that he has the qualifications for success. He's had years of business experience. He's bright, hard-working, and personable. But within a few months of achieving sobriety he disappears. The next thing we know he's calling us, drunk and wanting help.

While we don't have the arrogance to pronounce anyone hopeless, we haven’t been able to help this man get sober. We're not helping him by letting him return over and over..

Hopefully he'll find a long-term treatment program that will help him deal with his alcoholism. We wish him well.