If you want to learn patience try to open any kind of facility to help addicts of any kind to get clean and sober. And I know what I'm talking about because I've been dealing with this issue for over 30 years.
One of the most common statements you hear from a government official when applying for a permit is "We already have more than our fair share of social service agencies in this town (or city)"
I'm dealing with the municipal government in a certain city and running into some pushback. I won't say what city because I have to continue to deal with them. But one of the bureaucrats made the statement above, about having our "fair share."
This statement always amazes me because the leading cause of death in the U.S., at least a few months ago, was Fentanyl overdoses. There were more overdose deaths than from all other causes combined. That includes cancer, heart disease, diabetes, auto accidents and so forth.
Yet a minor city bureaucrat will have the nerve to say something about "fair share," like give addicts a lot of opportunities to get sober isn't a good idea. Perhaps this person should look into the eyes of the families of dead addicts and make a sophomoric statement like that.
It may require that our organization employ the services of a competent lawyer or two before we're able to carry out our mission of helping addicts change their lives.
We've had to sue government agencies before. And because we spent five years in Federal Court over a decade ago, there are a lot of addicts clean and sober today who might have died without our efforts.
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