I have been on the Psychiatry service for almost 3 weeks now. This week I was assigned to the Addictions unit. It has been quite the eye-opener. It has been filled with meeting people at various stages of recovery. I have sat in on Al-Anon , AA, NA, and other group meetings.
They have been filled with stories. Sad stories. Tearful stories. Stories filled with despair. And stories filled with hope and inspiration.
The biggest thing about this week is the realization that addiction is a disease that does not discriminate. There were successful professionals. There were homeless members. There were women and men. There were people like me. And that scared me. Because I realized that if I could be sitting in one of those chairs and telling one of those stories.
