Continued From Part 14: Facing and Awful Truth
I sat alone in the darkness of my living room, my friend Joe relaying the latest in news concerning our mutual friend Nick. Although my focus is to stay positive, sometimes the reality of a situation keeps that from happening. Everything about Nick’s situation just wasn’t ringing true. Believe it or not, the simplest explanation is usually the truth.
Nick needed an alcohol and drug abuse treatment, but no one was listening. No one was looking. Nick was the product of his own success, but not necessarily for the good. It seems his long term sobriety, professional achievements, and financial successes afforded him the position of being strong, having it all together…in a word – perfect. As most of us know, no one is perfect. I think it is easiest for us, some of us, to go down the path of believing what we want to believe. It’s easier that way. It is easier for us to think that something else took Nick down. Something besides his addiction to drugs and alcohol.
Last week, Nick removed himself from the facility that was helping him with whatever his ailment was; drug abuse treatment of not, he was in the right spot. Something was terribly wrong. As soon as he was released, ADA (against doctors advice), he resigned from his job of nearly thirty years. He has since disappeared. Because Nick adamantly refused to allow blood to be drawn, they could not get a handle on what his condition is — syphilis or drug abuse.
Joe explained that word was spreading through our group of friends in Boston. Nick was high and had been purchasing crystal methamphetamine for more than two years. We are as sick as our secrets.