58. A Sinking Yacht

Gerry said, “I’m scared, but I’m going to take the concrete road back to rehab.”

“Why are you scared?” I asked.

“I love them.  I want to help them.  I’m afraid they’ll pull me down with them.”

We sat in silence for a moment while I thought of another analogy to help him visualize his situation.

“With no money worries, it’s like your addicted parents had been living on a slowly sinking yacht.  You saw they were taking on water, they did not.  Your relapse was like swimming out to them, trying to save them.   Going to rehab is like swimming back to shore. The halfway house isn’t as nice as your parents’ house, but it represents dry land, it’s safe.”

Gerry picked up the story, “But from dry land, I might see the boat resting lower in the water.   I’ll want to swim back to save them.  Maybe try to convince them to get clean, to leave a sinking ship.  That’s just like bailing out water, and it’s not enough.” He paused.

“Complete the analogy,” I said. “What happens next?

“I might be tempted to stay with them until they sink. Sinking would be my mom dying, or my dad killing someone while he was driving drunk.”    

“So what’s the thing to do?”

“Encourage them, but don’t go to them,” he said.  “Stay dry, stay away from a sinking boat.”

Today I will encourage someone, but I won’t drown with anyone.

Needles Not For Knitting is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance between the characters and anyone you might know is purely coincidental.

Needles Not For Knitting (c) 2017 by Ken Montrose

Other works by Ken Montrose are available at:

http://www.amazon.com/Ken-Montrose/e/B001K8MG0S