First off, a comment. One of the interesting things about this blog is that when I roll with it and write every day, I feel like I'm on a flow with it emotionally and its not as hard to get started again. However, when I take a couple days off, I feel kind of guilty, but also healed somehow. On the downside, it takes me a moment to get back in the groove. Oh well, I'm not questioning the process, just commenting. By the way, if you can tell by my last comment, this will be one of my more hippie entries. Or not.
With that, onto the topic! As you might have noticed, I vacillate between hippie and extremist anti-hippie (it's okay to have dreads, just as long as you wash them). I don't like conforming, never have and I like being unique. I like shocking people sometimes and never doing what they expect. Life is more fun that way.
So, while I will never agree with hate policies, there have been times where I have only half jokingly said, “why don't we take all the meth addicts and burn them and this world would be a better place”. Now let's take this a step further... this is sort of my version of Jonathan Swift's “A Modest Proposal”.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift
First of all, how many meth babies pop out on a daily basis? I'm sure the number is not comforting. Results of meth addiction in babies are lowered IQ, colic, increased likelihood of just plain stupidity, following in their parent's footsteps and pursuing sex offender husbands later in life. Morever, they are just not cute, and the last thing we need in this world are less babies that look like Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. So, fellow social workers, any meth addict that you encounter who tells you that using meth “a few times” during their pregnancy didn't hurt the baby (remember that the drug is transmitted through the uterine wall) is just in denial of the fact that they used meth throughout their pregnancy. (Sort of like when someone says, “I was so nauseous, I just really needed to smoke weed”. Now, I'm a total advocate of legalizing marijuana, but smoking weed through pregnancy is pushing the limits. And anyone trying to justify that they smoked because they were nauseous should be put away. At least say, “I'm a fucking addict and I can't stop!”.)
Back to the proposal. If you think about what meth does- destroy people's ability to experience empathy, increases their sex drive temporarily (only to completely destroy their face later - contrary to popular belief, ugly genes don't go away) and increases criminal impulses - 60-70% of people in jail in Oregon (the biggest meth state in the country) are there on meth charges- and the recovery rate is at a whopping 21% last time I checked (longitudinal studies only going for one year after they got clean, which is usually how long it takes for them to go through treatment and get their kids back anyway, 70% for alcoholics in 5 year longitudinal studies who are AA involved).
And there's more. Think about all the money wasted on these people as far as jail goes. Jail is not a deterrent for a meth-head. Trust me. It's easier to get meth in jail than it is outside. Second of all, their baby's mama's cousin is probably in there too, so no problem reproducing or spreading whatever kind of public health/STD that they didn't know they had, “Uncle Joe was clean, he's related”. Last, the only thing that meth addicts can think about is more meth. So regardless of whether they say that they want little “Chastity” or “Grace” back, the fact is that they are more excited about going to the public library and telling the person who checks out books about how, “no, I don't owe all that money for those books, that was my ex. He's in BIG trouble. I'm nailing his ass on identity theft and three counts of robbery and assault. He must've stolen my library card”. You are probably wondering what the library and the getting their kids back have to do with each other, but the average meth addict doesn't. So, again, we would be saving hundreds of tax paying dollars (public library money) if meth heads were not involved in the public library system. Unfortunately, that's where they get on the internet to learn about words like, “identity theft”.
And there's more. I love it when meth heads in recovery get together in recovery groups and talk about how they love recovery (with no hint of emotion or awareness whatsoever), but then go into a tizzy when you start talking about tweaking or anything about meth. There they are drinking their hundreds of cups of 20 scoop, instant, sludge black coffee or 50 cans of Red Bull while you secretly laugh at how you know that they never really quit meth, but you get to continue treating them anyway and wasting everyone's money. (And they make fun of Britney for drinking 30 cans of coke a day in recovery?) My favorite is when they see another meth addict and say how, “they don't know how it is. Everything they put on tv is a lie about meth and I refuse to watch it! Those fuckers, the police are passing judgment on me! They think I'm a tweaker just because I don't have any teeth! Well fuck them m---@!#%$@#”. Okay, dude, how long did you say you were in “recovery”? These people are so insightful that they behave like they are in denial even though they have been in recovery for 5 years. Well, I'm not buying that you are working graveyard, refusing to switch to day shift, consistently missing groups and appointments with your PO, breaking out in meth-monster face, and looking like Tanya Harding all just because you're tired. Do I need to waste my money and time treating your sorry asses? I don't think so. You're not getting any better. And any social workers who have faith in you are just pushovers.
So, my point is, if we were to burn all the meth addicts, we would probably destroy some of the fun of making fun of them (that's sad because there's not enough fun in this world). BUT, we would send the money it takes to treat them to Saving Tibet or Darfur instead. This would sort of be a “classicide” of the evil, stupid and useless in our country in order to save the actual victims of genocide in other countries.
What do you think? Now, some of you are saying that I should not be allowed to be in my profession after spouting all this and maybe some of you are secretly thinking that I should. Most of you are probably feeling that way, even if you don't think it. I was reading a book called “Healing Anxiety Naturally” by Harold Bloomfield today. It talked about getting in touch with your natural self so it can be louder than your anxious self. It also talks about the importance of humor in self care. Well, I'm not going to tell you what I really think about this issue for real. But I think that many of you should really think about how you personally feel towards certain issues before you actually try to be all PC. Before you say, “oh they never had a chance because their mothers were off nailing their uncles, and their uncles were fucking them”, ask yourself, “was that sick demented social worker right? Could we have eliminated the problem if we just burned them all?” Get in touch with your natural self, what do you really think? We as social workers have a personal responsibility to be aware of these judgments.
Obviously I harbor some resentment towards methamphetamine addicts. One note to those of you who have recovered and beat the stereotype. I idolize you- and there are some of you that I've met that are amazing people. In fact people who have provided hope to me in dark times. But those of you who continue to deny their shit which is the majority, it's a waste of everyone's time.
Was that extreme enough for you?
One of the more valuable lectures that I had a as a social worker was by a panelist talking about going into private practice. She handed out a thoughtful three page packet on what your values as a social worker were. I thought this was one of the more important things that I have filled out and one of the activities that stands out in my mind (if I ever am to pursue the idea of private practice... that is). First off, we were asked to talk about our values. What is important to us if we are to set up a private practice? Some people talked about close commute. I talked about extremes.
What is so important about extremes, you ask. Well, extremes are what creates balance and humor in this world. If we didn't have Rush Limbaugh, who would Ralph Nader be? If we didn't have Anne Colter, who would Hillary Clinton be? And if we didn't have the 700 Club, what would that movie “Jesus Camp” be? Ha. I am not talking about living your life in an addiction or full throttle in everything you do. While I am dedicated, motivated and if I start something, it takes a lot for me not finish it, I don't like my life thrill seeking or find myself running from one addiction to another (except for Starbucks after I quit cigarettes). So extremes to me means in a profession means helping people from Britney Spears to the homeless with mental illness. People all over the social spectrum. I'll give you an example of how I live this in my life.
About four years ago, while I was still working with people with MR/DD, I traveled all over the metro area into serious ghetto neighborhoods and comfortably mingled with the random people on the streets and families I worked with. I lived in South Harlem and made friends with the local crack dealers outside my apartment building. I have also catered parties at celebrity homes, taken coats (for $100 dollars an hour plus tips) at Russian Ambassador parties and thus held so much mink I thought I was going to puke. But, this is what our world is made up of. This is reality. There are ghettos and there are luxuries. People transcend those boundaries every day in this country. That's they beauty of it. That's where I want to fit in.
The other thing about me is that there is no way I could work with only one type at once. You work with Paris Hilton every day and you get annoyed with her complaints about how they totally made her look insincere in her sex video. But you work with low-income people everyday and you lose hope in their ever getting better. So, you mix the two together, and you remind yourself in some sick and twisted way, that things can get better, and maybe you are a bridge between those two worlds. When the rich come to you and say, “what you do is so hard”, you can contradict them and say that you also treat rich debutantes for $200 an hour. And when you tell the poor about their lifestyles, they feel better about their own problems. Win win situation right?
So, a final comment on my extremism. A mentor in my life recently made me feel good by telling me that I have a gift in order to be able to spend time comfortably crossing this social boundary. Maybe I take if for granted, but I don't want to question it, just accept it as part of myself. I feel like this has been my successful nature in social work. If we have a gift with all people, then why burn ourselves out wasting our talents on people that we can't do anything for. If we are both getting and giving, we are the most effective and healthy social workers (When Helping Starts to Hurt). That's the food for thought for today.
No comments:
Post a Comment