Continued From Part 13 – Treatment One Way or the Other
So, it has been a few weeks since I’ve written about my friend, Nick. I’ve been told by other writers and bloggers and even other folks in recovery that they find a great solace in writing, even when writing bad news. It’s supposed to be a wonderfully, sometimes painful process that allows some of us to release anxiety, stress, and even fear. I find it rather difficult to tell what’s been happening, or even happened for that matter. I tend to drift and focus on the good. But, I must move forward and tell the rest. To the end.
Although Joe couldn’t get Nick into an alcohol and drug rehab treatment facility, he was able to get him to a mental health facility. At last, as far as I felt, there was hope for Nick. He would at least get clean. Shortly after Nick’s admission to the facility, trouble began again. He constantly fought, steadfastly refusing to allow the doctors to draw blood. During this check it the look for drugs (legal and illegal) and diseases. One of those diseases is syphilis. An awful word and an awful disease. However, based on Nick’s erratic behavior, this could be a reason. If unchecked or treated, the syphilis could cause brain damage, irreversible brain damage.
My gut told me, and I don’t know where I get this from, that he wasn’t fighting the blood test because he was afraid of having syphilis. I think he was afraid of them finding drugs in his system. And the reason he was most likely afraid of that, was because Nick was just a couple years away from retirement. With that retirement comes a huge pension. If drugs were found in his system, he would be fired and the pension would be gone.
Continue with Part 15: The Simplest Answer