. - Albert Einstein
We hear this quote often in the rooms of recovery. It's almost cliche. But for many of us in recovery it seems like it takes a long time to sink in.
I bring this up today because one of our 750 clients decided to leave on the spur of the moment because he "needed to work." Apparently he found a sober house that would allow him to begin work the day he arrived. Even though he'd only been clean for a few weeks.
So what's wrong with that you ask? After all, the man's been sober a few weeks. Work's an honorable thing for a man to do in our society. But there's a problem with this.
This client didn't come to us because he was looking for an employment service. He came to us because we were the last door on the block. He had no place to go, and he was out of dope. His family didn't want him. He had nothing but the clothes on his back. He was as homeless as a stray dog. But after a few weeks he somehow twisted around in his head the idea that money was his problem. If he could just make a little money things would be okay.
The only problem with his thinking is that as soon as an addict in early recovery gets a few dollars in his pocket it's off to the connection. In the past 25 years we've seen thousands of addicts come in our doors and leave as soon as they get their first paycheck.
Then it's on to the next program. And the cycle repeats itself until he's either dead or in enough pain to realize his way hasn't been working.
We preach that money is never an addict's problem. It's always about recovery. Once a man or woman gets clean it's like being reborn. Life is fresh again. Usually in less than a year the family begins to trust him once again. It's a beautiful process to watch an addict blossom into recovery.
We can only hope that someday recovery will happen for this man who "just needed to work."
I bring this up today because one of our 750 clients decided to leave on the spur of the moment because he "needed to work." Apparently he found a sober house that would allow him to begin work the day he arrived. Even though he'd only been clean for a few weeks.
So what's wrong with that you ask? After all, the man's been sober a few weeks. Work's an honorable thing for a man to do in our society. But there's a problem with this.
This client didn't come to us because he was looking for an employment service. He came to us because we were the last door on the block. He had no place to go, and he was out of dope. His family didn't want him. He had nothing but the clothes on his back. He was as homeless as a stray dog. But after a few weeks he somehow twisted around in his head the idea that money was his problem. If he could just make a little money things would be okay.
The only problem with his thinking is that as soon as an addict in early recovery gets a few dollars in his pocket it's off to the connection. In the past 25 years we've seen thousands of addicts come in our doors and leave as soon as they get their first paycheck.
Then it's on to the next program. And the cycle repeats itself until he's either dead or in enough pain to realize his way hasn't been working.
We preach that money is never an addict's problem. It's always about recovery. Once a man or woman gets clean it's like being reborn. Life is fresh again. Usually in less than a year the family begins to trust him once again. It's a beautiful process to watch an addict blossom into recovery.
We can only hope that someday recovery will happen for this man who "just needed to work."
