Maybe I have a knack for working in substance abuse after all?
~.: So I'm a member of relationhelp, and a girl made a post there this morning about living with her mom and stepdad, who is addicted to the medications he's taking for a number of psychiatric illnesses. Through talking to her about the nature of addiction and co-occurring mental illnesses, and finding resources for her, and recommending her to some al-anon groups, I'm beginning to realize just how much I miss working in the helping field. I want to get paid for looking up community resources for someone, I want to be able to offer helpful advice that will help a person live a better life, I want all of those things and more. I kick myself quite a lot these days for having quit my job at Brandon House. The compulsions to stay and go were both so strong -- my soul versus doing something I love. I loved the population we worked with, I loved seeing people learn new skills so that they could better their lives, I loved hearing the complex stories that brought people to us. But I hated being mandated to do things that were illegal, I hated the corruption of my boss and her boss, I hated the lack of integrity of the majority of my coworkers. In the end, I'm certain I made the right choice, but I wish I didn't have to have quit on our clients. So many people out there are hurting, and I can't wait to jump back into helping them heal.