Futile help (part 2)

January 24th, 2024

My thoughts and reflections here are painfully mine as I gained them through my own addiction — and following recovery.

The situation with my co-worker is getting more dire by the day — now he is in a pharmacologically induced coma and his family has sent word that he might not recover at all. Even if, by chance, he recovers physically, his brain and cognition might be damaged beyond any repair. That seems very strange and detached from the reality around — looking at the timeline of events, I spoke with him face-to-face on Monday at 12.30 pm and he seemed fine and coherent and normal. At 1.30 pm he called another person for help as he couldn’t move by himself. About an hour later, he was taken to hospital by ambulance, still conscious but not being able to talk anymore. It was very quick for a body to fold and give up.

We will see where it goes…

Of course, now he, as a topic, is a main talking point around the office. Of course, what everyone says at first is to wish and hope for his recovery. What is being said after the initial concern, is mostly stereotypically wrong but commonly held opinions about people who are addicted to substances. The most incorrect of those opinions is thinking that covering up for somebody equals helping that person. Other people here at work for years did what they thought was helping the guy in question. They looked the other way, they swept his problems under the rug and they covered up all of his issues and failings as an addicted person. They thought that it was helpful, but it wasn’t. It just enabled him to continue his behavior without reflection or consequences. And since there was no professional work-related cost to his addiction, there was no need to change anything — until it was too late. I don’t know how I can explain it to them, or even if I should try…