Recently a friend of mine went through a very trying time, and I’ve been struggling with how I can be a help to him.
He is a recovering addict, and was clean for nearly two years. He was so proud of that, and worked really hard to maintain his life. This summer has been really hard on him, with deaths of close friends, and his father’s rapidly failing health. A few weeks ago, it became too much, and he relapsed. He called me and gave me the awful news that he was headed to a drug rehabilitation center for treatment.I was so sad for him, hearing the pain in his voice. I couldn’t then, and still don’t understand why he kept apologizing to me.
He spent a week in the center, and was able to return to work shortly after. I haven’t had a chance to really talk to him about it, but he did tell me that he nearly died while detoxing. I haven’t had to courage yet to ask him why he felt the need to apologize to me. He did tell me a bit about the center, it was tough and essentially a “lockdown” facility. That seemed so harsh to me, knowing him as I do, but I’ve also never seen anyone detoxing, with the exception of on TV. From what he described, it wasn’t a trip to Malibu!
I’ve been reading a lot about drug rehab, hoping it will clue me in with ways to help him. I’m also looking at AA information, knowing that what he really needs is support, and a safe place to talk. I pray every day that I can be that safe person, and feel that I’ve already achieved that. If anyone has been through this type of situation before, I’d really appreciate some guidance. Thanks!
