I feel scared to do so. These guys helped me out a bunch. They accepted me with all my flaws. There was nowhere to hide at rock bottom.They saw the real me and to my surprise, they accepted me. It was the first time I felt like I belonged somewhere, like I had friends.
I don’t know, maybe they’re not really friends but more like allies. Are those 2 the same?
Before I left, I got all their contact info and they told me to email them, text them, or call them once I got out.
I still have that piece of paper with all their info but I’m hesitant to reach out still. What if they don’t remember me? For the record, I’m not talking about jail, even though I did meet some cool dudes in there as well who taught me a lot. I’m talking about other addicts that I met at a treatment center.
Some people might find it hard to believe but I met some pretty decent people among those that society considers “bad people”. Many of them look mean and bad but you’d be surprised. I heard their stories and where they come from and while they did make some bad decisions in their past, they were definitely a lot cooler than their record would have you believing. They were from the opposite side of life from me, I grew up soft and they grew up in tough environments.
I remember they were talking about some kind of drug and I asked what they were referring to. It made me feel insecure when some lady responded and said: “You’re from the suburbs huh….I can tell based on how you talk and act”. They all started laughing after she said that. I often found myself in situations like this there where people could see how socially awkward I was. Sometimes they’d say: “you were sheltered huh”. It would make me feel insecure. It’s not to say that I think drugs are good for ya or that the street life is something to be glorified but I could see that these people had some skills I was lacking. They had acquired certain strengths that I admired, some of them even knew how to fight. My roommate was amazing at trading and negotiating. We were only given 2 pairs of donated clothes so we were often wearing the same outfit all week unless your family sent in some extra clothes. My roommate didn’t have any family out here in Arizona so he started trading his daily snacks, meal sides, and other things for clothes. By the end of my 30 day stay, he had 4 new shirts, 2 new pairs of jeans, and enough socks and underwear to last him a week.
Don’t get me wrong, many were in fact still stuck in their self-destructive ways. 3 fights broke out during my 30 day stay in there, some guy snuck in drugs and got kicked out but some were really trying to change their ways. The lady and the dudes who laughed at me were actually pretty cool once I stopped being so sensitive. I gathered the courage to sit with them at meals where they had a nice dinner table set up like you’d find in a home. I even sat and watched tv with them. Another time I jumped in on a basketball game even though I sucked.
Before I departed, some of the dudes and staff said some really kind things about me.
I have at least 24 phone numbers and a few email addresses on this piece of paper. It’s been 88 days since I’ve left that treatment center. I’m thinking about contacting them because I feel like an outcast at work and I had a really bad day a few days ago which almost led me to drink again.
1 comment
I’ve only ever been in a center twice in my life. Once in highschool and another almost 2 years ago. Both were for mental health stuff. One of the biggest things that stuck out to me was one of the nurses specifically told us that we weren’t friends we were patients. Do not contact or go look up the people you meet here. He seemed like a prick.
Weather or not you should contact them is a bit tricky. I’d normally say go for it, but you don’t know what state they might be in now. It is true that a lot of those guys have a lot of wisdom you normally wouldm’t find in other places. And of course they could be friendly. But you have to keep in mind that they were in those centers for a reason. While they may be kindred souls, they might also get you into trouble as well. Ultimately it is up to you and how well you can seperate yourself from the if need be.