The idea of someone being ready for treatment of their substance use addiction is bogus. It’s also bogus to think that because a structured service that is already entrenched in tradition doesn’t fit the needs of a person then they just must not be ready yet and they can come back when they are ready. I think that not only our frustration with the system, but also our inability to both see, acknowledge and change the limitations of the system is doing a disservice to people who need help. We are sometimes caught up in a rhetoric of wanting a square peg to fit into a round hole that we cannot even see that hole is an illusion created to make us feel better about not the system being flawed and feeling helpless to do anything. So what do we do? When do we acknowledge that a substance is a substance and that quality of life is impacted by many things.
We need to ask some big questions, bigger than, “are you ready for treatment?”
Peace,
Michelle D.
nursingforsocialjustice 
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