Reaction Recovery

“I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid you can’t do that.”

How do you feel about AI and tech advancements?

Does it scare you or are you embracing the change?

My opinion is that because it’s happening (and happening quickly) whether you like it or not, the only mistake you can make is to completely ignore it and pretend it isn’t changing the world.

This really is no country for old men.

And by ‘old’ I don’t mean the age on your driver’s license.

I mean the age when you just stop trying.

I’m old enough to remember folks who refused to get a computer and learn about the internet.

Life got harder for them than it needed to be.

I’m not saying you need to spend every waking second learning about this stuff, but you do need to keep up.

My job is to help people define and reach their life, health, and career goals. So this includes talking about technologies that help them get there quicker.

Find a few tools that you like, play around with them, watch some YouTube videos for best practices, find a channel that keeps you up-to-date with the major announcements and stay in the stream of advancement.

We might not need an AI powered sponsor, but the other stuff is important.

Don’t say no one ever warned you ♥️

Does tapering on your own work?

In my experience, it depends.

Personally, I tried it no less than 50- 100 times and up to that point, I would say no it doesn’t work.

But this last time - when I was taking the most and coming off 4 different dependencies at once - it did work.

So I don’t know.

If it’s anything that can lead to seizures or immediate death (severe alcohol or benzodiazepine dependency), it should always be medically monitored.

But what about everything else?

Of course the most highly acute patients should IDEALLY be receiving the highest acuity level of care.

But as we know in the world of drug addiction, we don’t always operate in ideals.

We operate in reality.

And I work with a lot of folks who meet criteria for residential treatment but who are unable or unwilling to accept it.

For whatever reason.

So what about them?

Can they successfully detox on their own?

Yes.

Sometimes.

Other times not.

The majority of addictions are resolved outside of a facility.

But it does require the right mindset going in.

There’s a lot you can do to reduce the discomfort, but ultimately you should be prepared for a rough go of it.

You need to see this time as a temporary sacrifice for the greater good.

A tribute to your future self.

And then surround yourself with good people.

When we're part of a supportive community and immersing ourselves in a world of recovery, we can and do get better.

But you have to be mentally ready for it.

Or are you still waiting for that one day when you finally grasp the concept of moderation? 🐝♥️

A lot of people suffer in silence 🤫

Quiet pain, quiet fear, quiet desperation—hidden behind forced smiles and empty routines.

But for the addicted population, the suffering is anything but quiet.

Everyone sees it.

It’s raw and exposed.

And usually ugly.

So chaotic, yes, but in the loudness of the chaos is an opportunity most people can’t see.

At least not someone who hasn’t been there.

And that’s the possibility of seeing the entire world in a new way.

Often permanently.

Not that everything becomes wonderful, but the perspective changes.

And I’m convinced that unchanging perspectives are what keep people in that state of quiet desperation - that they might never break away from.

Where by the world’s standards it’s the better/preferable life (because it’s less openly destructive), but is it?

Would you rather 1) a chaotic existence with the possibility of either a terrible ending or an incredible against-all-odds type of re-birth, or 2) no visible chaos but condemned to see the world through a slightly foggy lens that colors everything some shade of gray for the rest of your years?

It’s a tough question.

And unfortunately (or fortunately) addicted people aren’t being asked.

They find themselves in the middle of the chaos and right up against the fork in the road.

Where the path on the left is continued destruction and the one on the right is the possibility of something entirely new.

I try to help people see the path on the right.

And to write it down and describe it out loud and break up the vision into little action steps a couple weeks at a time.

We really are some of the world’s greatest people and have the ability to accomplish so much.

We can do anything.

And the sky's the limit.

Are you doing what you need to do to get there?

Having high success rates are easy when you get to make up the definition of 'success'.

[Always reminds me of the scene in Tommy Boy where he's trying to sell brake pads and explaining the value of a guarantee.]

The quality of a treatment facility is as good as its local reputation.

If you want to know how good a place is, talk to the people who have been there.

And the families who have sent people there.

If you get a large enough sample size, the data can be considered valid ♥️

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