I worked with Party Girl yesterday. Sleepy Man revisited us after he, not surprisingly, failed his first attempt last week. He stayed awake the whole time with us yesterday (still didn't pass). Seems like a nice guy, actually. I hope the third time's a charm.
A woman around 40 years old came in for a GED module. She instantly struck me as not your typical GED-er. One chief factor was her age (most are teens and twenties), but she was also very well kempt and articulate. In fact, when I checked her ID, the photo barely resembled the woman in front of me - enough to raise my proctorly suspicions.
The photo on her driver's license showed a woman with hair pulled back away from a defiant looking and slightly chubbier face, heavily smeared with eyeliner. The woman in front of me resembled a wholesome Toni Collette.
She chatted with us for a bit before she left, explaining that she wants to get her Master of Addiction Counseling license and needs the GED as prerequisite to get that ball rolling. She was excited about working at a new rehab center opening locally and shared that she was "five and a half years sober!"
We smilingly congratulated her, looking forward to seeing her through her GED progress. As soon as she was out of earshot, I looked to Party Girl.
"Yeah, I'm going for margaritas after this", she predictably divulged with a chuckle.
Now, we give Party Girl grief about her drinking, but not in an intervention kind of way. It's more of a coworker-banter kind of way. She acknowledges her "need" for alcohol, but she does seem to be able to control herself and is also one of the most responsible people I know. Let me count the ways:
- She reliably and diligently carries her share of the load at work
- She manages and maintains a rental property
- She has a good relationship with her stepkids, whose scene she entered when they were young teenagers
- She devotedly cares for her elderly memory-challenged father
She told me a friend asked her to come over after work and help design some landscaping for their yard. There would be margaritas.
"I told them just one or two margaritas", she explained, "which we all know means two", she added.
Yes, we know. And I bet the landscaping will be splendid.
4 comments:
Does she really have an issue or finds the stress of her life makes he lean on it more. In other words, could she quit if she wanted to? Or should the woman who just passed her test and is 5 yrs sober help party girl as her first patient?
Peggy, Party Girl drinks every day, although she "only drinks beer" now rather than the heavy drinks she used to down daily. She does, however, have a set of drinking buddies she drinks heavy with a few times each month. Even they have advised her to cut back.
She told me alcoholism runs in her family, and she "knew" she was susceptible after her first taste. She's not interested in quitting, so I'm not sure if she could on her own.
Party Girl does seem incredibly together and responsible. She also has a lot on her plate so maybe she needs the alcohol to maintain her balance? Some turn to other drugs, some have breakdowns. From what you say she seems balanced.
Liz, I think you're right. Drinking keeps Party Girl "balanced", ironically.
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