flickin_the_bean

I have never been more excited to be an Oregonian. Did you guys see that?! He likes OUR wine!

I’m similar to you. I was prescribed a ton of dilaudid when I had my tonsils out at the age of 30. After a few days I ultimately preferred taking Tylenol because it actually helped the pain as opposed to just making me high. My bf is an opiate addict and he couldn’t believe that I would willingly make that choice.

Being with an addict who has been mostly clean the last 3 years I can share how I have come to see it as it relates to my partner. He had a fucked up childhood and still deals with a family that he depends on but is also abusive. He was so sheltered and controlled as a child that he didn’t learn coping mechanisms for dealing with difficult emotions and situations so when he went to college he went of the deep end. He found alcohol and then opiates and that became how he dealt (or didn’t) deal with things. On top of this he has depression and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. He has developed unhealthy patterns of dealing with things and it takes constant attention and self awareness to choose a healthier way of dealing. For me as a non addict I don’t have to make that decision everyday. I just wake up and do my thing and for the most part it’s healthy and functional. For him, he has to choose everyday to NOT go down the addict path. It gets easier over time as the habit of being clean becomes more familiar. But it never goes away. So I stay empathetic by understanding how he got to the point in his life where drugs seemed like the best choice. I have met his mother so I totally get that. I would have done unhealthy things to cope with that woman too. I also know that people struggle with different demons. What’s an easy decision for me, is not for him or any other addict. I try to be less judgmental and more empathetic to the root of the problem.

My partner chose drugs as a way of coping because it helped with the mental health issues. No one grows up and thinks “you know I just want to do heroin and be constantly high or dope sick while I destroy all relationships in my life and probably do some shady things to get my fix.” Everyone has a different story as to how they ended up where they did and I think that hearing those stories and empathizing with that as opposed to judging the result will help your interactions with addicts.

Anyway that’s my interpretation of part his experience. Really I will never be able to completely understand what he goes through but I care about him and I try to be patient and understanding.

How is management handling people who get sick or are quarantined? Are they offering sick pay, pto or leave outside what is offered regularly?

That's good to hear. Hope you all stay safe and healthy!! Thanks for all the hours you and all your coworkers are putting in!!

Do you need someone to watch your animals so you and your wife can travel together? I would take a month or two of work :)