Really? You actually expect me to believe that??

Honesty and believability seem to be in short supply in my realm of clients lately. I currently work as a substance abuse counselor for a non-profit agency. The majority of my clients are court ordered (dependency, some criminal, some both) and a few are voluntary but encouraged to attend by DCF.

Some of the reasons I have heard for testing positive for various drugs
-I thought it was a tylenol
-The person I had/have sex with uses
-Rode in the car with someone who was using
-Brownies :)
-Drank coffee made with filter used for drug manufacturing (unknowingly of course)
-Thought it was just a rolled cigarette
-Cleaning the dresser, counter, etc in a hotel room that had a white powder on it
-Someone put it in my chapstick
-Oral sex
-Person conducting drug test put drug into urine
-Ate poppy seed muffins, buns
-Hemp Lotion
-Found a baggie with white powder in it and decided to taste it

Reasons for testing positive for alcohol
-I use a lot of hand sanitizer
-cough syrup
-ate something with wine/sherry in it
-had candy with liquer in it
-ate rum cake
-didn't know the energy drink had alcohol in it

FYI- laboratory alcohol tests have thresholds that allow for incidental alcohol ingestion

Explanation for drug charges
-My friend threw it in my purse
-I didn't know the 50 boxes of cold medicine were for making meth
-I grew it for a dealer friend, since I had a green house and he didn't
-They left all the manufacturing materials at my house when I wan't there
-Someone put it in my glove box
-I was keeping it for someone else
-A relative left the medication at my house because she is in the process of moving (in a ziploc)
-I rented a car that had drugs in it

One of the oddest stories I've heard
- I got burned when I knocked on a friend's door, he answered and immediately tossed a bottle of "shake and bake" at me and I missed 

Just thought I would share a little of what I hear on a daily basis. Sometimes it takes all I can manage to keep a straight face.

Avoidance

AVOIDANCE
Pronunciation: \ə-ˈvȯi-dən(t)s\



Function: noun


Date: 14th century


1 obsolete a : an action of emptying, vacating, or clearing away b : outlet


2 : annulment


3 : an act or practice of avoiding or withdrawing from something

Avoidance is something I very guilty of-especially these past few months. I have always avoided confrontation in my life, it's just a part of my personality. I don't like conflict (hubby might disagree a bit :0) whether my own or someone else's. Currently, I am avoiding a multitude of things such as going to my Mom's grave, taking down pictures at my Mom and Dad's house, committing to a healtheir lifestyle, enforcing a schedule for R, difficult discussions with my father, asking certain people to mind their own business and show some respect for others, and facing the mortality of my Dad.
Being a counselor, one would think I would NOT avoid such things..WRONG. I know the negative consequences of such avoidance but still do it. Some of the avoiding is very purposeful, some is not, it just gets shoved to the back of my brain by virtue of all the other stuff going on. SO, I must find a way to deal with all the emotions and situations in my life in a positive, healthy matter and stop avoiding the potential conflicts and confrontations that come along with life's ups and downs.
Counselor, counsel thyself!!!!!!

I prefer uneventful

This past week has been a rollercoaster in my world.
My Mom went back in the hospital due to mutiple problems centering around her cancer and chemotherapy-worry, scared, sad, fear
She is out now and home health is in place to come out at least once a week-relief
Hubby's new career is starting-excited
-it is commision only-scared, terrified, anxious
Babysitter's daughter fell and hit her head and was unconscious for a few seconds-empathy
-she is okay though-happy, glad
Neighbor's little boy has a high fever and had a febrile (hopefully) seizure-empathy, fright
Hubby and I picked up the twin brother from the ER and kept him for a night-not sure how to describe this feeling- I just know I was glad to be able to help out
Tragic but not fatal incident I can't discuss because of HIPAA laws-panic, fright, sad, questioning, scared

I'm ready for a nice, quiet, uneventful weekend!!

Things to do before I die

As part of my job as a counselor, I lead group treatment sessions every week. One of the topics I have used in the past and used again today was what are 20 things you want to do before you die. Previously, I've played the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying and then explained the activity but not today. I didn't decide until after I was at work to do this activity.
SO,in keeping with a theme-I'm blogging about my own bucket list of things to do before I die.

Learn to speak another language, fluently
Have a home in Puerto Rico
Get out of debt
Get my LMHC
Sell my creations on ETSY
Learn to sew
Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
Swim in a phosphorescent bay
Spend the night in the rainforest
Be unplugged (no TV, computer, phone, etc) for one week
Kayak with Orcas
Take an Alaskan Cruise
Meet my grandchildren
Move to western North Carolina
See the Northern Lights
Take my child to swim with the manatees
Take my child to Disneyworld
Go on a photo safari
Paint a picture and hang it in my home
Have a "real" garden-you know, the kind that actually feeds my family
Live far enough away from the city to have chickens, not a pen full just a few laying hens
See the Grand Canyon
Ride a camel
Dig for Thundereggs
Be an extra in a movie
Have a house with a big porch- rockers, porch swing, hanging plants, the whole old southern kind of porch
Come up with a "signature" dish
Take guitar lessons
Learn to play a CCR, James Taylor, or Simon and Garfunkel song on my guitar
Find a church where I feel at home
Teach a college level course
Forgive some people (I'm currently working on this )
Grow my own fruit
Become comfortable with my body-whatever size it is
Foster creativity in my child
Foster a sense of wonder about nature in my child
Learn how to start a fire with sticks or rocks-no flint, no matches, etc
Research edible plants and have a working knowledge of them for wherever I live
Have an emergency fund
Take a survival class
Go to Jerusalem and walk where Jesus walked
Own an RV
Visit all 50 states
SIMPLIFY!!
Take R fishing
Wake up to snow on Christmas morning
Make something R will actually want to wear
Teach R to swim
Learn to fix R's hair :)
Volunteer on a reservation
Go back to Ireland
Hike at least part of the Appalachian Trail
Go to Costa Rica
Trip to the UP of Michigan to hunt for Lake Superior Agates


Well, enough for now. I guess I better get busy making the money I need to do some of the traveling I want to do.

Work

Sometimes I wonder why in the heck I changed professions. Let's see...less money, most don't get better, many don't want to get better, lies-lies-lies, feeling threatened by my clients, listening to the same complaints day after day, court appearances, subpoenas, attorneys, being looked at as the enemy, I'm sure I can come up with more but I will stop.
Enough ranting-I am so glad I made the switch but sometimes the stress of working with people with addictions and mental health problems is slightly overwhelming. I am happier doing this than anything else I have ever done (except maybe being a college student and bar hopping my time away :)). Just thought I would vent.