Sitting in the restaurant, I could sense a new perkiness in our son’s voice. It had been a long time since I had heard it.
“I try to keep a positive attitude in all situations,” he announced.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
The drug/alcohol rehabilitation center where Harrison has been for the past six weeks had allowed him a “leave,” based on his time and behavior there. It was only a few hours, but I’m sure it seemed almost like a vacation to him.
Of course, he’s not “there” yet. No, far from it.
My wife and I are still in the process of processing Al-Anon’s Three C’s: we did not cause it; we cannot control it; we cannot cure it.
This was not Harrison’s first stint in rehab. We have learned that drug/alcohol treatment centers range from clinical settings in detention centers and/or prisons, to luxury, almost country club type settings in tropical paradises. The particular facility where Harrison is currently in treatment, was recommended by a trusted friend, to whom we are grateful: the quality, approach, and system of this center seems to be a good “fit” for Harrison.
Of course, no treatment facility will be effective if the addict is not willing to work the recovery process. I hear the mournful words of Amy Winehouse, the English singer and songwriter, singing her hit, “Rehab”:
“They tried to make me go to rehab but I said, ‘No, no, no…’
I ain’t got the time and if my daddy thinks I’m fine
He’s tried to make me go to rehab but I won’t go, go, go.”
Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning at age 27.
But, for the first time, I sensed a new seriousness in Harrisons’ commitment to a program. The circumstances he had allowed into his life had escalated the serious nature of his addiction, resulting in a wake-up call of awareness for where it had taken him. Listening to Harrison ignited a renewed hope for me in him.
I thought of the saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” It’s not until any of us get serious about positive life changes that we listen, really listen, to words directing us to the right path.
After lunch we were back at the treatment center. One of the facilities’ employees, a graduate of the program himself, lowered his eyes as he spoke in somber tones of one who had recently graduated from the facility. The young man was doing great, was ready to transition into a new, independent setting, went home for a weekend, lapsed, and died of a drug overdose.
Staying sober is a day by day struggle that is a life challenge.
“I can tell a difference in Harrison since he came,” the employee testified. “At first he wasn’t willing to admit what was going on his life. I told him, ‘don’t give me that.’ But now, we can see a change. I mean, it’s like night and day.”
Walking away and waving bye to Harrison, we can only hope he, and others like him who are walking the road to recovery, continue to keep the lights on.