Half-dozen clients were circled up in group this morning, puzzled about why they were being confronted about their behavior.
It all started when one of their housemates, a woman who’d been sober over six months, decided to leave and use drugs.
And it turned out that those in the circle were communicating with her – a violation of program rules. Once someone relapses - or leaves on bad terms – clients aren’t permitted to communicate with them for several reasons. And those in the circle were admittedly in violation of program rules, with varying degrees of culpability.
One had taken her money. Another had been calling her frequently. Others had been sending her text messages, urging her to return to the program. And another arranged a ride for her to detox.
But none of them seemed to understand how our staff could be so unfeeling and cruel as to deprive her of their support. At least until it was explained to them.
We pointed out that those in recovery - even those with long-term recovery - have no business hanging out with drug users. It's one thing for those with more than a year’s recovery to do a 12 step call. But it's another to hang out or give moral support to an active user. When we do this we risk relapse.
But there's even more danger. For one thing, they could've walked into a drug deal and been robbed or worse. Or they might of been caught in a police raid. This is the stuff of bad dreams.
So what happened to our wayward clients? They’re restricted to the property for a week. They lost cell phone privileges. Some lost their levels. They have to attend more meetings.
Some were pissed when the group was over, but it doesn’t matter how they felt. Our job is to help them rebuild their lives until they can successfully function on their own
