Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT 2976-2980 (8 - 12 June 2015)
WareWolf:
And that's how you handle relapse. Good on ya, Faye.
cabbagehut:
--- Quote from: Timemaster on 11 Jun 2015, 23:18 ---I have to admit something: the only thing right now that impresses me more than the QC episodes of the last days is this forum and the insightful postings of it´s members concerning addiction and alcoholism. I´ve never been addicted to substances, so it is quite difficult for me to really relate to Faye´s problems. But in the past days I´ve read so much about this topic here, written by people who have been there, who have struggeled (and are still struggeling) with substance abuse. And by doing so I´ve learned more about it in the past few days than in my entire 46 years before.
So I wish to express my respect to everyone here. Thank you very much.
--- End quote ---
The same for me. I've only ever been on the very outside of substance troubles, and I mostly just transfer what I know about domestic violence and abusive relationships over to how I think of it.
For example, a person in an abusive relationship isn't in a "normal" circumstance and might behave in ways that don't make sense to me. A person addicted to a substance isn't in a "normal" circumstance and might behave in ways that don't make sense to me. Blaming people, trying to force them to be in a "normal" situation, yelling, threatening, etc., don't change their situations. Both of them only have the chance to get out when they choose to/have the right opportunity, and even then, they'll often return to the not-so-great situation. I was told (I used to work on a rape and abuse crisis line) that it takes an average of seven attempts to leave an abusive relationship for good, and even then, there is a pretty decent chance that the violence can escalate and the victim will be harmed, stalked, or even killed, which is one of the many major reasons that people don't leave. It's dangerous to leave. It's hard to leave someone, it's hard to quit using a substance, and facing yourself, loneliness, feelings of inadequacy or shame can be powerful.
I can't purport to know what's it's like to be in that scenario, so my job is to be sympathetic and offer as much assistance as I can, but avoid telling people what to do, even if I think I know what's best. That's been my modus operandi for talking about both of these scenarios, even though they aren't that similar and I don't fully understand either.
Seeing the posts on this forum help me understand better. I want to thank all the people who talked about their own struggles, even if they were difficult or painful to discuss. I think that it's better to try to get these things out in the open and for many people to realize that they are not alone, and that others struggle with something similar. I think these discussions do make a difference, and I am grateful that others are willing to help us get there.
94ssd:
--- Quote from: ReindeerFlotilla on 09 Jun 2015, 09:35 ---Pro help is the best long term option, but I think there no chance of her seeking the best if she doesn't grab the lifeline Marten just threw her.
--- End quote ---
Before jumping to judgments, and I know this comic has never really focused on money (because how boring would that be), but it's important to keep this in mind when thinking about this and more importantly about real life people with substance abuse issues...
Professional help may be the best long term option, but for a LOT of people it is simply financially impossible. Outpatient addiction treatment in the U.S. has an average cost of $10,000 a month. That jumps to $28,000 if you're talking about a live-in facility. Often only covered partially by insurance if at all. If someone can afford to feed their addiction but couldn't possibly afford addiction therapy, they're going to choose the former.
And before you say "well they'll save money by getting sober." someone living to paycheck to paycheck doesn't actually have the means to think about spending a lot of money now to save more in the distant future.
It's obviously a broken system, badly in need of being fixed. But it's something to think about if you ever think "well maybe that person should get real help."
hedgie:
They also have to want to get better. One of the coffee shops that I worked at, there was one guy was only fired after he refused rehab. The bosses were more than happy to pay for it, even though they didn't have to, but he still wouldn't go.
Akima:
--- Quote from: WareWolf on 12 Jun 2015, 06:19 ---And that's how you handle relapse. Good on ya, Faye.
--- End quote ---
Yes. Life isn't about how you get knocked down; it's about how you get up again. Over and over and over again.
--- Quote from: hedgie on 12 Jun 2015, 14:08 ---They also have to want to get better.
--- End quote ---
This always key. If people do not want to change themselves, all attempts to do it for them are ultimately futile.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version