I am Responsible whenever.....

I answered my cell. What’s up big guy?

Got a phone call, a friend (Jake) needs help. Relapsed. Been drinking. Wasted.
Crying to go to detox.

What’s the problem?

Right now he’s the problem, nobody wants him. You’ve been around awhile, think you might know him. He’s called several places, no insurance, say they can’t admit him for several days, maybe weeks. He’s been to treatment before, they know him. To them he’s a pain in the a**.

Big guy was right. After a few questions I did recognize Jake as one of my first clients in a treatment center, different city twenty years ago. I could also understand everybody’s reluctance to accept him. Jake hasn’t put more than a few months of sobriety together at a time.

Been told to play hard-a** with him. People I’ve talked to say he’s hopeless. Don’t be soft with him, he doesn’t really want it. Maybe he doesn’t want it, but I can’t bring myself to drop him cold; he did call for help.

Right. For me that’s the key. Don’t play God. We can’t judge whether he wants it or not, whether this time will be the time or not. I would suggest that we do whatever we can for the guy and let God do the sorting out.
Knowing his history I’ll make some phone calls, if we can’t get the help he needs we always have ER or…. You call him back let him know we’ll help him.

**

I called. Made arrangements. We could pick him up. Big guy called back. Jake would not answer his phone.
Jake hadn’t told Big guy where he was, his estranged wife didn’t know either. Big guy would keep trying.

God only knows.

Jim