FridayOctober 10, 2014

Life on Life's Terms

Faulty Premises

"How's Smiley doing?" I asked The Other Ken.

"Hmmm, not so good.  He blames your friend David for all his problems.  Because he blames David, he thinks your friend should 'fix things' for him.  And while he's waiting for David to fix things, he doesn't see any reason to put any effort into treatment."

"He's going to end up in jail," I said. 

"Even if he doesn't go to jail, he's headed for trouble.  Smiley says he didn't really relapse, he just slipped a little. He has no insight as to why he broke his sobriety after three years. He thinks it just happened, it was no big deal, and David owes him."

"All his denial rests on the idea David is to blame.  One faulty premise leading to a lot of dangerous conclusions. "

Today I will take stock of what I believe.

I will look for faulty premises leading to mistake or dangerous conclusions.

Life on Life's Terms (c) 2014 by Ken Montrose

Upcoming  Trainings

Five MISA Groups (and pointers on running them)
October 15, 2014 at Kerr Presbyterian Church in Verona
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m
$50 payable in advance, at the door, or by invoice after the training

This five hour training is accredited for:

• Addiction Counselors by the Pa. Certification Board
• Nurses by the PSNA #101-1-O-14
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• EAPs by the Employee Assistance Certification Commission
• Social Workers by the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.

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Other Blogs

AArdvarks, a daily messages blog about a group of young people in recovery, can be found at: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/7149580-strange

RPG

Plateau or ledge?

Michelle sat cross-legged on her chair.  Painfully thin and pale, her chart said she was twenty-five, but she looked at least ten years older.  When it was her turn to speak, she said, "I was a sex toy and a punching bag for ten years.  I was meal ticket for the last seven of those years.  When I turned twenty-five I got an apartment by myself.  I quit men.  I quit coke.  I quit smoking weed.  She held out her scarred wrists.  With tears streaming down her cheeks, she added, "I quit trying to kill myself."

"You've come so far," I said.  "Why not take that final step and quit drinking?"

"I will eventually.  Just drinking is a plateau for me.  I only want rest here for a while before I go completely clean and sober."

"You almost died from alcohol poisoning.  Drinking isn't a plateau for you, it's a ledge."

Today I will not mistake a ledge for a plateau.

RPG: Relapse Prevention Group © 2014 by Ken Montrose