It gets better

two addendums; it gets better if you work at it, and it gets better if fortune favors you.

Reading your story it’s clear both are true for you, fantastic. It takes support though, and from what I can tell not everyone has that. A worthy purpose (such as helping a loved one) can help a lot. Medications can do quite a bit too. But one has to work through past issues, and prevent them from reoccurring. I’ll admit that at least half of that is down to personal motivation.

I keep thinking about the people I’ve met who did everything right; they got sober, went to therapy, attained education, and found supportive people… but it wasn’t enough. They still couldn’t escape the stresses that caused their illness in the first place.

This isn’t so much me saying that, but airing out some thoughts I’ve been percolating on lately. I’m incredibly fortunate; I have supportive family, a really awesome doctor and access to therapy and education. So many of those things I don’t know how to get to those I meet here.

Oh, one more thing I’ve got; the financial support that I can stop working when I’m sick. For people living hand to mouth…. that’s less possible. It’s something that challenges me; the current system fails way too many people.

I crave difficult problems, and I’ve found none more difficult than this one; how to make it so that everyone who wants to get better can.

To be clear, if I had power, money and influence it would be dead simple to do. I don’t, or at least not in sufficient quantities.