Week Two: Just as Crazy

I am halfway into my second week at the new position. Similar to last week, once again, it has been a whole new experience. Since I have not gone through treatment myself, it was decided that I could benefit from some first hand experience and thus would conduct a mock stay at rehab for a couple days.

Upon arrival, my entire luggage was thoroughly searched, including items that were confiscated as they were deemed "a risk:" perfume, my Tide spot remover pen, aerosol hair product, etc. It's weird how personally intrusive the experience felt, having everything examined with a fine-toothed comb. Then my two phones and wallet were collected and placed in a safe (this also explains why I have been unable to answer most calls the last couple days). Laptops and cell phones may only be used during certain recreation hours.

The day proceeded with some group sessions where I became more familiar with the 12 step program, workout and recreation time. After dinner, I attended my first AA meeting. It was everything and nothing I expected it to be. Yes, everyone introduces themselves "Hi, my name is so-and-so, and I'm an alcoholic" responded by "Hi So-and-so" from everyone else, and yes there are many saga stories shared some much less traumatic than others. But what I didn't expect from the meeting was the overwhelming sense of love, giving, and respect. It's no wonder, when there is so much support from other peers at these meetings, that people do whatever it takes to make it through the day just to come to the meetings to find a friendly face. Shouldn't we all have a place like that?

Back "home," I got to experience what night time was like in rehab. I was woken up each hour by a flashlight to check in on me. Although the rooms are very nice and new, the fact that it was a foreign place didn't make for the best night's sleep.

The next day, during group we studied how Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs can be applied to pathology. I found myself digging deep into my past philosophy classes, trying to remember these things, and not appear as if I had no clue. Since my facility appeals to a different demographic (more CEOs and lawyers, less teens checked in by mom) the subject matter of group therapy is catered to their perspectives and education levels. Needless to say, my brain has been spinning since these sessions.

The afternoon gave me some time off from thinking. We had a cooking class with one of the chefs and outdoor Ashtanga yoga session.

Now that I am back home, it's nice to have unlimited Internet access, my phones, and comfortable home environment again. Even though my stay was only two days, it felt much longer! I hope that this experience can help me speak firsthand about the facility I represent, but if nothing else, I think it provided me with a couple days of good personal growth.