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A lot of clients who come through our doors only get here because their parents are tired of putting up with their addiction. In fact, unless someone writes us from prison or jail, it's usually the parents who call seeking help for their children. They haven't yet mustered the courage to send them to the streets. Instead, they think that if they treat them nicely and help them they'll get the message and quit using on their own. But that rarely happens. In most cases when clients come in on their own it's because our program is the last resort for many of them. And the reason for that is because we accept anyone who seeks help - whether they have money or not. We help them find jobs, feed them, get them clothing, glasses, dental care and provide therapy so they can deal with their addictions. But many of them were never taught how to be responsible for themselves. A lot of our new clients, the younger ones, don't know how to make a bed, clean their rooms, fill out a job application, or wash their clothing. Without mommy and daddy they're totally helpless. In some cases it's like we're raising other peoples' children. A lot of parents often call us to complain about how they're children are treated at our facilities. And that's because they'll call their parents to complain about the food. Or the fact that we expect them to go to work and pay a service fee for their food and housing. Or that we make them go to meetings and peer groups to learn about their disease. After most of these calls from the parents they understand that we're trying our best to save their children's lives - not be mean to them. We tell them they need to let their children go - Letting addicts go and let them grow up and be responsible for themselves is the most beneficial thing you can do to help them seek recovery faster.
John Schwary, Recovery Connections