Close To The Bone

One thing that keeps things fresh for me in working here is fielding calls from people in the grips of addiction who are seeking treatment. For most people the continuum of substance use is typically one that travels from casual occasional use to regular frequent use through to heavy daily use into chronic debilitating use. The transitions are usually pretty subtle over time but can vary pretty widely depending on the substance(s) involved. By the time they are ready to pick up a phone and place a call to a centre like this their motivation is normally a desperation move. Various aspects of their lives are tumbling down and they are looking for a solution NOW. For the uninitiated a long intake process isn't what they had in mind when they place the call. Most don't realize there is a difference between places that specialize in withdrawal management and those that do addiction treatment. Simply completing a withdrawal program only means that your system is clear of the intoxicant and your major symptoms are under control. Treatment program enrollments are taxed to the limit with the upswing in recent years of more addictive drugs being more readily available.

Weekday evenings I normally handle a couple of calls a night from individuals or family / friends seeking treatment information on their behalf. Then comes the weekend..... and the calls come back to back... and the plethora of impacts on these people's lives come tumbling across the phone lines. Financial woes, jobs in jeopardy, rent money gone and nowhere to go, charges pending and underlying it all relationships strained, damaged or gone.

So, what to do? Normalize the current thoughts and feelings regarding the situation. Offer tangible solution based scenarios and alternatives. Next step propositions. Offer hope for the future. Delineate probable time lines to avoid unreasonable expectations and disappointment. Ask for a commitment to follow up. Provide assurance regarding positive life change - attainability.

I'm so glad I'm on this end of the phone line these days.

Gotta go - it's ringing again.