Ouch!

 I see how much rougher I've had it in pre and young Recovery than those who have more recently been diagnosed as alcoholics/addicts with mental illness(s). As I am quite pleased that we've been able to "raise the bottom" that us Dually-Diagnosed must endure in order to seek Recovery. Still, people like us must "hit a bottom", meaning experience the type of unmanageability in life which causes people with the drug/alcohol/mental illness so much pain and suffering that we reach out for help. My observation of many a mental health care professional facility has noticed that those who receive such services from psychiatrists, social workers/therapists/case managers has resulted in several potential dangers, as I will note one main one here. The fact that hitting bottom as I have spoke of here when us Dually Diagnosed have received care when their bottom is not as painful as years past I applaud this newer health care technology, except for one thing. That being many who have not hurt as bad as this older Dually-Diagnosed individual, when that person is tempted to drink/drug/quit taking their psyciatric medications, they have no "burning memories" of how awful it was before Recovery. The usual result? Relapse. The type of relapse that causes death of the one who relapses or they can, yes, hurt others! Damn it! My bottoms, yes people like me can survive relapse, got to be so horrible that when I, now in Recovery of 20 plus years, consider relapse, my roommate/Sponsor or just on my own reminds me of that sheer horror of what active drinking alcoholically, using drugs, combined with my several different mental illnesses was like! If I'm honest with myself of what it was like I have little problems in staying in Recovery. If one like me has no sheer hell to remember, relapse is so much easier. By the way, it is "suggested" to never relapse, about like the rip-cord on a parachute. When you jump out of the airplane @ 15,000 feet it is suggested you pull that rip-cord, but you don't have to!