“For what he did, I forgave him the minute he did it. But for being the reason he did it, I will never forgive myself”
“We need a solution,” Mr. Richter said. “He wants to come back to our house and we don’t know what to do.”
I’d been working with the Richters for a while, but Mr. Richter was still using terms that made me uneasy: a “solution,” like it was a problem; “our house,” not “home.”
Like any kind of growth, addiction recovery happens in stages. Stage one, which I like to call The Grab, is when the addict admits he has a problem. The second stage, The Hug, is when the addict realizes he cannot achieve recovery on his own. In stage three the addict finds appropriate avenues of help: The Plan. And stage four is The Gibor — maintaining sobriety, repairing relationships, and reintegrating into the community. Each stage has it own challenges; none is easier than another and none can be skipped. Each requires a lot of time, planning, and patience — and a little bit of help when things get stuck.
Aaron was at stage four. He had successfully completed a rehab program and now he wanted to go back home and start over.
Create a free account to keep reading.
