Never Give Up On Someone

One of the most difficult duties of running a sober living home is dismissing someone for using. After doing so, many times I would here reports of these men passed out drunk in an alley or other signs of their continued drug addiction. Sometimes I would see them myself. Either way my heart would be broken.

I have learned a valueable lesson this week. Since becoming homeless I have run across five of these men. Even though I had felt I had failed and feared that they had given up on themselves, the seed had been planted.

Four of these men have not given up on themselves. All had relapsed and were drinking or using for a few weeks or months. Not four of them are sober again. Four of them are working their program and attending 12 step meetings.

All four thanked me and attributed there "getting it" to their stay at the sober living house. Even though they had relapsed and been dismissed from the house, they kept the positive memories of their stay there. Using these memories are finally belong to a family, being sober and starting on the journey of creating a new life for themselves, they choose to once again become sober.

This is a message for all of those alcohol and drug counselors, social workers, families and many other people who work with the chemically dependent. Don't give up! Even if it appears that they did not "get it", by your planting the proper seeds, you have influenced them in ways you may never know. In the long run, these alcoholics and addicts may finally "get it" due to your hard work. All of that time, energy and emotion you have spent on that individual was not in vain.

God Bless,

James McPherson

Riverside-Recovery-Resources.org