littlefish

Okay, I had a negative episode at my substance abuse treatment center today.

I go there for antabuse and alcohol abuse counseling. However, for the last month or so have been without a counselor. The one I started out with had no experience or education as a substance abuse counselor and actually had a degree as a social worker. My last session with her consisted of her asking about my family, what language my kids speak in my bilingual home, what my native state in the US is like and her most useful piece of advice regarding drinking was when I feel the urge to drink...say "ohm". I decided it wasn't going to work out with us, and was never assigned another counselor.

That left the sum total of my activity at the center going there twice a week for antibuse and nothing else.

As I mentioned in another post I had a relapse last week for 5 days and the
doc at the center, also with no addiction training, decided I was supposed to show up at the center and have a dose of antibuse every morning this week. And get a blood test to see if I had any liver damage from my relapse. The doc made this decision very quickly without consulting anyone.

Today, walking there, I thought: what is the purpose of this treatment? When I added up all the mg's of antibuse I would get, it would be more than double the mg's I usually take and I didn't see the point of having to go there everyday.

Okay, bear with me, this is a long story but I have been turning this over in my head all day.

Anyway I asked the nurse and then again the doc why they had chosen this treatment, I got the answer it was "procedure". In other words, I didn't get a straight answer. I pointed out that with my work schedule, I wouldn't have time to leave a blood sample (at another location) AND go to the treatment center on one of the mornings. Also I pointed out that I couldn't go every day of the week, because outpatient hours on Thursday are in the afternoons when I am at work. The doctor became sarcastic and angry and, without really answering my questions, walked away in a huff.

To make a long story short, I think she devised this as a hand-slapping "punishment" approach. Make me go there everyday and double my dosage....because I was a bad girl!!!

I would have preferred to be treated as an adult facing consequences: such as being told if I do what I did last week...again, I could seek treatment elsewhere.

I live in a socialized healthcare system and a lot of addicts and alcoholics get welfare on the stipulation that they go to this center. The fact is a great majority of them lie and play the system. I see them out drinking and using and many of them are open alcoholics that have been around my neighborhood for years. I know who they are.
They don't WANT to quit.

I don't get welfare and I WANT to quit. I think that my doc devised this hand slap thing because she has to deal with them and maybe hasn't thought outside of the "welfare merry go round" box.

Am I wrong to question her method? Was I being stubborn? Was this my alcoholic "Everyone else is wrong and I'm right" behavior coming out? I tried to be diplomatic, but I think I have rights as a patient to get a logical explanation for my treatment.
I really don't know!

Feedback?

Ananda

If you are not required to go to this treatment program then you could make a desision to not go....espc. since you get no counceling anyway.

If you are required to go...you'll probably have to do as they say, but i find I do better if I expresss my concerns and make them clear.

I had a conflict with administration when i was in treatment, and i felt much better when I decided to discuss my problem with there decision with the administrators. It actually ended up changing the outcome somewhat...but even if it hadn't, I could feel comfortable with myself regardless of whether the situation was corrected or not.

Anna

I definitely think you should question the treatment program. The bottom line is that you have to be comfortable with a program that you are following and you have to believe that it will work for you.

Isaiah

I had a similar experience at the first treatment place I went to. I did group counseling and I quickly realized everyone else was lying and manipulating the counselors, and over half the people there were drinking on the sly. I was honest and tried to be pro-active and in the end I was the only person who got a "more counseling needed" referral.

I'd say just keep hammering at them with the practical aspects. If they are "punishing" you then they are doing you no good, and I don't see it as doing them any service. You do have a right to fair and honest treatment from them; be stubborn if that's what it takes.