Our addictions can creep up on us when we least expect. I heard a story about a fellow who had spent six months in a treatment program and was about to graduate and seek employment.
Before he graduated, however, he requested a pass to visit his family in another city to celebrate a relative's birthday. Since he'd been an active participant in the program and seemed to be working a strong program his overnight pass request was approved. But it didn't turn out so well.
It seems that some of the family members were social drinkers and were enjoying a few beers in the presence of our client. A few days later he showed up at the program, 24 hours late, with a bad hangover and requested to return to the program. Of course he was discharged and told he could return in a week to start the program over.
He said he had no plans to drink with other family members at the party. But before he realized what he was doing he had a can of beer in his hand and you know the rest of the story.
This anecdote exemplifies how cunning and powerful our addictions are in spite of our best intentions. We must always be vigilant when away from our support system. Especially when we're in the presence of so-called "social drinkers."
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