Two days ago I learned of the death of one of my first clients as a substance abuse counselor at an all-male halfway house. As is often the case I hear about these deaths from a former resident and their biggest concern is how I will receive the news. My husband has gotten too used… Continue reading The Snuffing Out of Light
Category: Addiction
My High Flying Bird
My best friend is a junkie. Crystal meth has tossed his brain into unrelenting chaos. It has jumbled his lobes and pathways into amorphous masses in need of a fix. It has made him think that a young mother and her child recently sitting next to him on a plane were secret agents and that… Continue reading My High Flying Bird
Band of Brothers
When I began my job as a substance abuse counselor in an all-male residential program, the group of men were a pretty hardened bunch. Their flesh peaked out from under tattooed murals on their arms, legs, chests and backs. They were pumped up with six-pack abs and chiseled muscled arms that they teasingly showed off… Continue reading Band of Brothers
“Gayle, what have I always told you?”: Tough Love From a Heroin Addict
This past weekend I visited with two past residents of the all-male halfway house where I work. Both of them had made it through the 6-month program in the past. Both of them ended up relapsing. They grew up in very rough and tumble neighborhoods in the Boston area and both were fiercely loyal to… Continue reading “Gayle, what have I always told you?”: Tough Love From a Heroin Addict
Gayle Saks 