The material presented
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level.
Aww. This made me feel good. Yes. I am more settled in. It's high drama and much different than I'm used to. My last three hours today were total chaos. People leaving AMA and paraphernalia being found and someone snitched on plans to smuggle drugs in today so i put the kabosh on that.. So...it felt more like jail than rehab today but it's okay. Most clients are kids 20 to 25ish.. Only 20 percent I would say are primary alcoholics. Mostly it is drugs and predominantly heroin.Some want recovery and some dont seem as motivated. I have some skills for it though and my confidence is improving. For today I'm good. It means a lot that you asked steph. Thanks!
Ahhhhh, brings back memories, PC. So glad to hear you see your assets in your skill level and that your confidence is approving. As unnerving as some of those experiences might be, PC, I'll bet they'll be the things that make you laugh the most in retrospect. Perhaps this group is learning not to try to outfox the fox. They certainly will learn to respect you and your authority even if sometimes rehab does feel like jail.
I'm glad you asked, too, Steph. Updates are good to hear!!!!
You're the main man PChip. You're the guy with the heart and the hammer to use it with. Kaboshed the plan...Yay counselor person!! Counselor 7 Patients 0. They are full of tricks and spunk and moxie and venom and ego and evil intent and You have your own plan which they haven't a clue about. Yay!! Once had a client during family group lean toward me and say, "You know what you need Jerry...you need to be taken out". Her mom started crying after the shock and I excused myself from the group for a minute and told them to go on without me I'd me back in a flash. I was back in a flash and back in group and ten minutes later there was a knock on the outer office door which I went to answer and then brought into the inner counseling room two of the biggest red neck county police officers that responded to my phone call. The patient went into adolescent neuro arrest and her mother caved in emotionally. They had no idea I had made the call. Long story short this threatening termite got cuffed after counseltation with the police and led off. He mother got to listen to the police tell her that evidently the daughter had been pulling the same crap on her (for sure) and that they wanted her to call if there was next time. My client was transfered to a woman's recovery program; in house as the youngest addict ever allowed. She would not miss me as I sat on the board there and she would not be coddled by adult female addicts working hard program and not about too put up with any crap from a brat. LOL Six months later she called me to thank me for what I had done and then explained it honestly and then asked me if I wanted to have my van washed in their fund raiser. It's all good. I hope she's still clean and sober; must be getting close to 40 years of age now. Hope she's alive. Thank God you used the hammer. Yay!! (((hugs)))
-- Edited by Jerry F on Friday 6th of September 2013 02:41:04 AM
As you know, these folks are incredibly challenging, and burnout is high because of the stress...
Do you really think that there are practitioners more equipped than you to do this work? and, in truth...no one really has the answers to addiction and recovery....it's all trial and error...
Hmmmmm...wonder if we could put you in charge of some of the government agencies...bring the hammer down on those addicts making decisions on our behalf
The counselor in charge of the detox is way more challenging than me. He gets all up in their faces lol. I'm soft in comparison. I try and sell recovery to them with all my heart and soul and some of them crap on it. That was the hardest thing to get used to. I will be pulling out every slogan, bit of knowledge, plus the clinical stuff and get a response like "your groups are boring!" or "this is the same stuff over and over again." Naturally, my thought is "You need repetition. You got yourself to rehab by repeating the same dumb a@@ behaviors again and again." Ugh. Of course, I am learning that it's actually not always bad to SAY that thought cuz they do need to be challenged like that. They steamroll and BS you if you don't.
I know you probably already do this and having one of them take the lead without injecting yourself into the session use to work great for me. I'd come into the group and tell "so and so" okay pick a topic you need to address and lets go and then I'd detach into the group. It's your group...you are the store owner the proprietor. You know the people and the product. You know how to do drunk and drugs and be everything they are when they are doing it. Remember the AA chant. "you can never bs and bs..er" Make sure they know you have the hammer. Keep on keeping on. (((hugs)))
-- Edited by Jerry F on Saturday 7th of September 2013 01:02:22 AM
