eye opener

First day of clinical today. I was so nervous I slept nearly a wink last night. Staff was wonderful and the facility is very nice. Its not Promises in Malibu, but its really nice. Preceptor was nice, I will spending more time than I thought with our class instructor which is actually a good thing. So incredibly knowledgeable. We saw a few patients together today, tomorrow I will be on my own with review after the fact.

The big drug down here is heroin. Heroin is to Bucks/Philadelphia counties as methamphetamine is to Bradford county. Addicts are plentiful and guess what they look like? They look like your nephew, your daughter, your sons, your lawyer, your banker. Mostly your sons, daughters, nieces,and nephews. They are bright, attractive, ridiculously young, and healthy. It breaks your heart into a million little pieces to see them. And I have only been there one day.

Drug use/abuse/addiction is not sexy. It's not cool or trendy. It's not provocative. It's pathetic, ugly, disgusting, destructive, and tragic.

I know we all "know" that. But sometimes we don't (can't) really grasp it. To know that the struggle is now life long after an addiction, relapse can be forever right around the corner. Seeing these beautiful people with their lives essentially taken from them is sobering. no pun intended. Never again will they be without this huge albatross. For those who can't get clean, mental and physical health will deteriorate and a slow and uncomfortable death follows for someone with drug abuse as their lifestyle. That is if you make it that far and don't get a bad bag, or unknowingly mix it with other bad junk like xanax or alcohol and just not wake up the next morning.

I know this is sensitive, those of you who might be or are dealing with it in your lives, I don't want to open up a sore, but please please please....talk to your kids, your family. Do what ever you have to do to keep them away from this stuff.