Suddenly it seems that summer is upon us. Kind of like opening a door. For a few months it's been great springtime weather. Then all of a sudden we go outside and this heavy mantle of oppressive heat imposes itself upon us. On top of whatever else we're thinking about, there's this constant presence that reminds us we live in a desert.
The heat even affects those who are still using. Once it's over 100° our 700 beds stay pretty much full all the time. Drugs and alcohol take an even heavier toll when it's hot. Those who relapse get beat up pretty fast and return right away. Especially those who come here from back East or from the northern states.
The wimps among us who work in the office don't complain too loudly. That's because a large percentage of those who work for TLC – like the maintenance and construction guys – spend much of their time outside. They're not too sympathetic when those of us who work inside whine about the heat.
One of the blessings of being in recovery for a long time is that some of us are able to get away for a few days. That's what my wife and I did this weekend. We made some flimsy excuse about having business in San Diego so we could spend a couple of nights in 70° weather.
I'm always mindful that I'm able to do things like this because I got into recovery so many years ago..
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