The Best Thing For Him

Janice is one of those “long-suffering” wives who had been through the emotional roller-coaster of watching her husband Frank’s battle with alcoholism over the years, seeing the good man she married waste away into irrelevance amidst a whitewash of platitudes and broken promises.

There were some good times to be sure, but mostly the frustration of failed treatment attempts separated by brief stretches of sobriety. Frank would look like he might have his disease under control only to fall back again into an ever-deepening pit.

Like millions of people, Frank tried to help himself to treatment. It was a matter of doing the minimum to get over the hump, as if a brief outpatient experience would magically cure him of his drinking obsession.

The counselors at the center knew the program Frank allowed would not likely be sufficient to guide him through the process, but they could not force an alternative on him. But seeking treatment helped him placate the judge after his second DUI. In his heart-of-hearts, Frank would later admit that it was a game designed to get the heat off.

Frank’s alcoholism progressed over the months and years to the point where the game was no longer effective. He would up behind bars for 90 days, time enough to dry out, but he was still an alcoholic and quickly reverted back to his familiar patterns of behavior once he was released.

They some people have to learn the hard way and Frank is one of those people. It was only a matter of time before Frank found himself before the same judge, in the same court room for the same charge. He was facing up to seven years for his latest folly, which included the side swiping of two cars in a quiet residential area. The judge sent him up.

Perhaps the shock of actually being in prison woke him up. After all a couple of 90 days stretches in the county jail didn’t seem like much. But this time was different. He was scared. There was a drug and alcohol treatment program in the prison, but the enrollment was full and Frank would have to wait to get in. He waited about eight months before he could join and begin work on his disease.

He soon realized what it meant to be a “dry drunk” and understood that his abstinence was not a solution to a management problem. . The therapeutic community was segregated from the rest of the prison population, which as Frank put it was “a God send.” Prison life for him became therapy, a wonderful opportunity to explore his own thoughts, attitudes and actions. In letters to his wife, Frank explained that his prison term was an “absolute necessity” and that he was thankful for the program. “This is where I need to be,” he said shortly before his release.

For alcoholics like Frank and so many others struggling with drug addiction, prison is the only answer. While a harsh and cold environment, the prison for him became a healing place, a place for him to get his life back. Not all prisons have the facility for a good drug program, so Frank considers himself lucky.

As a highly skilled tradesman, frank also could get work as soon as he was released. That is not always the case, even for those with skills or education. Call it a lucky sequence of events, but Frank was able to take advantage of the treatment opportunity, learn management skills and start a new life on the outside.

Incarceration is necessary, but expensive. Repeat offenders who do not receive treatment, or who refuse treatment are a costly drain on the community. Even so, treatment is the better option even if the addict has other ideas. Frank’s story is an example of a good outcome, but there are too many unsuccessful outcomes.

“Treatment or else” seems like an extreme, but just doing time doesn’t break the cycle of addiction. Even people who never face incarceration may lapse after long periods of sobriety, but if they have been in treatment, they can implement skills and strategies they learned. Incarceration alone is not the answer, and in all too many cases, just leads to more incarceration.

Frank had a happy ending. He is out. He has a good job and his long-suffering wife is pleased with his progress. The man she married is back. Prison, he said, “saved my life.”

For more The Best Thing For Him go to books

The Best Thing For Him The Best Thing For Him The Best Thing For Him The Best Thing For Him

HOW TO USE THIS SITE:

This site contains five MAIN pages that EVERYONE should read:

ABOUT…

SYMPTOMS…

CAUSES…

TREATMENT…

RECOVERY…

Read these five pages and learn what you need to know to spot alcoholism in:

Yourself... Your Family... Your Friends... Your Community...

The rest of the pages are there for your reference to explain important topics in more detail.

Finally don’t miss the Spiritual and 12-step sections to fully explore how understanding THE SPIRIT can lead to recovery!

You Can Be ADDICTION FREE FOREVER!