Most Common Barriers to Seeking Substance Abuse Treatment

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: My grandfather told me once that there are always reasons why people can’t do things, they don’t have enough time, or they don’t have enough money or the person who used to do the thing that they now have to do is better at it than they are. Yeah, he added two facts after that statement. Number one is they were real reasons, real obstacles, real barriers. They weren’t made up. They weren’t fake. But he did add it’s important than knowing that to go ahead and do it anyway. Intimidating philosophy may be a little daunting, but I also find it a little bit hopeful. Well, this is always, of course, is the Waismann Method podcast. I’m Dwight Hurst, and glad to have you along as we ask and answer these questions.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Today, I was able to sit down with Clare Waismann and David Livingston and talk about barriers, about obstacles to getting sober and starting out your journey towards treatment. It’s our hope that as we ask the question, “What are the barriers that keep people from getting treatment?” that you may sit down and listen to this and whether it affects you directly or someone that you love. We hope that by trying to answer this question and provide some of our experience and feelings about it, that you might find some motivation and some hope to be able to move forward and to move through those barriers to find health and sobriety in your own path.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And I’m excited to talk about this. We’re talking about barriers to treatment. There are lots to go into. What do you think to stop people from starting stopped from starting? There we go. What are some things that keep people from beginning to get into treatment?

Clare Waismann, CAODC: I think from what I hear at least, it starts with fear, a number of different fears, fears of suffering, fears of not succeeding, fear of not being able to handle life on life’s terms, fear of succeeding and then relapsing. So I think no one is fear, period.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: That’s a good way to frame it when you think about that, that not just the fear of life without a substance, but what do I do even if I succeed, like if I have something going well, then is it going to how long will it go well before it goes badly?

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Correct. And if things are not going well, is the world gonna expect that to start going well just because I receive treatment? Am I going to be a productive person in society? Am I going to succeed in doing so?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I mean, I think fear is a big part of our lives as a motivator anyway. Right. But I think if your fear is a big part of addiction and that addictive process, I find people are already either they’re prone to some anxiety or there is that fear of failure or fear of letting people down that that really contributes to that cycle of addiction. Right. Because then, especially when I continue to use and I continue to give in to like addictive impulses, that’s also where people will hide that they’ll hide it when they’re not having the success and progress, too, because that lets people down once again. Right.

David Livingston, LMFT: What needs to get kind of worked through and worked out in treatment is how to have a relationship with our fear that’s healthy. Meaning that it fears the most inhibitory process we have, and we feel deep fear people put the brakes on. And so, you know, if you if you fear your use of the substance, it’s one of the greatest strengths that you can have in overcoming the addiction. If you don’t fear it, it’s far more it’s far easier to just continue the path. So there’s a lot of confusion, as Clare was pointing out, over what to fear and what not to fear, like the vulnerability. You know, one of the things that treatment’s supposed to help people within therapy and understand that that vulnerability is a human process, that none of us escape it and that you don’t actually have to fear it. If you can have a relationship with it and get to know it and get to know your fear, how it’s helping you, how it’s not helping you, you really begin to move into a more creative mode. Right? Because then you can think about these parts of yourself. And when you can think about them, parse them, understand how they’re helping, not helping, you move into a creative process, then you could make decisions and just start to, you know, move forward, hopefully.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I like how you mention that the fear of use or the fear of the substance can sometimes aid in recovery, as I said that like so, you could see it either way. Usually, we focus on the fear of the fear of being without or the fear of sobriety. But you’re talking about how there is sometimes a healthy fear that can drive healthy behavior.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: David, is it a “healthy fear” or is it a healthy amount of fear?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: That’s a good question.

David Livingston, LMFT: Right, right. I mean, it depends right there. That’s one of the things you have to parse it if you’re terrified of using to get because it’s dangerous and it’s, and it’s sidetracking your life. And you can feel the fear of what that’s doing to the chances of you using the get-go way, way down. Right. And often when I ask somebody like, do you fear when you’re when you’re with you’re using the substance, do you feel fear? They say, no, that’s a bad sign.

David Livingston, LMFT: You know, that often when people come to treatment and make a decision to come in there, they’re – one they’re fed up, and two – they’re finally feeling afraid of the way that the substance is leading their life. And so those two factors kick in, and then they’re motivated to move into a healthier place. And so keeping those feelings alive at a level that that doesn’t, you know, like you’re saying, you don’t want to feel so much fear that you can’t, you know, be effective and think things through and understand things and move in the world. But enough fear around the things that are truly dangerous is useful.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: I agree. A healthy amount of fear in life. You know, I think as a child, we learn, you know, when we’re two or three, what fear is. You know, it’s an uncomfortable feeling, but is one necessary to keep us safe from dangers, from threats? You know, it. So I think like a little child, as I said, when you learn what fear is, you fear everything because it overwhelms you. But as we grow up and mature, we have to be able to control our fear to keep it at a healthy level. So still will keep us safe from putting ourselves at risk, but it will not stop us from having a productive life. So it’s truly finding the balance.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: You know, it comes to issues of fear and even issues of anxiety a long time ago worked in a place where we would talk about that kind of that kind of level of like zero to 10. Right. You can rate your your levels of fear of something like or even your levels of anxiety that you’re feeling was something of a zero to 10. And I think one of the healthy things to expect or to learn to expect is that I really I really shouldn’t be at a zero, just like I would hopefully not be at a 10 all the time. But really, a zero is quite rare as well, especially if I’m doing anything, if I’m doing anything worth doing. And sometimes I like to think of it as really if I’m out of five or below on a level of how intimidating something is or how strong my emotional reaction is to something. If I’m going to five or below, I’m probably still capable of making some decisions and engaging with it. And, you know, if I’m above a five or I’m getting up closer to ten, that’s probably where I need to be a little more focused on the emotional state of being. Also to make sure that I’m not in a panic, that I’m not making bad decisions. That and I think when we’re at that status, you know, you get up to say, oh, if I’m get a seven out of 10, if I’m a self-evaluating as a seven out of ten, I’m probably pretty wound up. I probably need to be a little bit careful of my emotional state about what decisions I’m going to make.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: And I think I think that that’s the difference of fear and phobia. Right. There is the seventh attempt. Right?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: That’s a good differentiation. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, a little more. Would you talk a little more about that, what you feel that difference with fear and phobia?

Clare Waismann, CAODC: I think a phobia is something that stops you from doing something healthy, that is productive because you not see a danger, imminent danger that might come with it. It’s often overinflated the knowing you just absorb every cell in your body where you become almost unable of proceeding. So it could be it’s it’s an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. It creates panic. You feel like running. It’s again, mostly the level of it is unreal. It’s harmful in so many ways, not just on your day-to-day life, but not being able to control that. It’s unhealthy for your future as you grow, mature as an adult and create most solid things that you can rely on.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Well, and when it boils down to when we look at the element that fear plays in a barrier to getting treatment, I often have noticed that when someone’s in an active period of use, when it comes to addiction or dependence, they spend a lot of time in a panic mode. There’s a lot of times practically to be worried about and kind of managing risk because they’ve got a fear, procure the drugs and use that. And I’ve got to be careful, especially if it’s opiates. So we’re talking about and I’m careful about relapse. I’m careful not to go too long with, I should say, careful of relapse, careful of overdose, usually worried about that and at the same time trying to avoid the withdrawals and avoid detection. There’s a lot of that. And then there’s just the aggravation to the nervous system in general to where people spend a lot of time in that fight or flight. And that really becomes a barrier to really accomplishing anything, let alone start the project of recovery and treatment.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Yes, yes. David, do you remember when we spoke about, you know, what I see, Dwight, especially the people I speak to when they tell me all the reasons why they should put this off and come in later, there is a and maybe David will be able to express just a little more than I will. There is. A disconnection of thought. A lot of different things become confused and temporary. Not long enough for an action. Can you explain a little, you know, what I’m talking about, David?

David Livingston, LMFT: Yes, I do. I do. So so what happens is when there’s a huge amount of anxiety, which can become a form of that is at its worst. When there’s that much fear inside, you know, it’s an acute type of anxiety can move people into a kind of fight or flight, which often they freeze. Right. They just kind of shut down. And it can also create some form of like paranoia. Because what happens is when we feel so much distress or fear inside, what we do naturally and we’re not even aware of it most of the time is we look outside. So the fear must be outside because I’m this afraid there must be a reason for it. But if I’m laying in bed all day and not doing anything, then it must be and I’m thinking about getting into treatment. The treatment must be terrifyingly dangerous because I’m feeling all this fear about it. So there’s this confusion over that, the intensity of the feeling that someone has inside and what the reality actually is outside. So I know that when I talk to people about coming in for treatment and they’re really nervous, or this part of what I do is break it all down right as you start to pass so that the inside and the outside start to get differentiated.

David Livingston, LMFT: Right. So it may be that, you know, it isn’t that there isn’t any discomfort or challenges in it, a treatment or getting detox. There are. But once they’re recognized for what they are, they’re really talked through. And you can get a sense of them and separate the feeling from that’s going on inside you, from the reality outside you. You begin to feel like you can move again. And then people are actually usually relieved that you’ll see almost an immediate downturn in their anxiety. Right, Will? They’ll feel like, OK, so someone has just explained to me in a way that makes sense what it is I’m afraid of. And so it isn’t that there isn’t any reason for the fear or concern. There is some, but it’s so overblown and that’s been parsed. And then they relax inside. They can move again in the world and things start to get better. So it’s I think we have to continually I, I feel like it’s part of what I try to do is just break this down into small pieces and then it feels more manageable.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Interestingly, we’re looking at for today as far as one of the questions to answer about barriers of treatment is how to help people lower their obstacles. How if I have a loved one who is resistant or maybe they have obstacles to entering treatment, how can I help them? And that just stood out to me, as you were saying, part of that is acknowledging that some fear is grounded, that there are fears there. They may be amplified. But to say, you know, if I can listen to what someone’s obstacles are, that’s already a big chunk of the battle of helping someone to overcome their barriers to treatment is to acknowledge that, yes, you have them and it’s OK if you’re afraid, for example, some of your fears are justified. I’m not going to start by telling you you’re wrong, but then also by listening, you can come back around and share, as you were talking about, share some of that insight of being able to calm some of that down to.

David Livingston, LMFT: One hundred percent, right, so if you’re trying to help someone get into treatment and you do some of the research and you call and talk to someone on the phone and you have them talk to the person who’s interested in coming in, then all of a sudden it’s like questions are getting answered, concerns are getting, you know, dealt with and in a way in which there’s an answer to them and the way forward starts to get laid out. It doesn’t feel like this kind of mass of, you know, anxiety or concern that isn’t parsed and where there’s literally a step a way forward. And then what happens is that when people can see the way forward, they can move a lot quicker. So, “yes”, for what both of you are saying.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: There’s like a sense of hope then potential, that’s to me anyway, that’s the word that came to my mind was hope. When you said when you see a way forward, that’s a specific type of hope, because if I can start to have a plan, you know, plan planning is the thing that’s very intimidating. When I when I don’t know where the road is going.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: But again, I I think on on on all the things you were saying about that plan, the families have to remember as well that, you know, you’re speaking to somebody, that their thought process has been compromised because I think people get very frustrated. And they said, at least I know when they call us here, they said they were going to and now they don’t know if they want to. And now they’re scared of the hospital and they’re scared of COVID. They’re scared of the sedation. All these things. I mean, you’re talking about somebody that is actually, you know, using fentanyl and buying from somebody in the street that God knows where he came from, a Chinese lab or a Mexican lab. So, again, it takes a lot of work, patience, tolerance of the family member to understand those fears to, you know, kind of filter those fears into things that are actual realities and things that are just inflating that irrational fear for fear of getting off drugs in the first place. Do you understand what I am saying?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Yeah, it makes sense there’s the underlying a lot of times when there’s something healthy that’s also scary, intimidating, it’s easy to find lots of obstacles that are like, well, what about this? Well, what about that? And, you know, as we’re talking about fear, I’m going to say and I know anxiety is kind of the worry, the excessive worry portion of that, too. And as I see that that that that usually triggers people to go, well, let me plan. And I’m not going to just A-B-C plan. I’m going to “A) – sub” possibility, “1.” possibility, sub one A). I’m just going to, in my mind, can go down 53 different little rabbit holes and say here are all of the possible bad things that can happen.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Correct.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And they can really amplify that to where you can really overthink and overthink. Yeah, yeah, I sometimes find that if someone’s goal is to be ready to do something, let’s say if I’m trying to get ready to enter to detox and do treatment and wait until I’m ready, ready. And I have some vague idea in my head of what “being ready” means. And I may never do it. I always like to try to talk about being ready enough. It’s like being ready enough to jump off of a diving board. I’d like to make sure there’s water underneath me, but really I can’t plan exactly what’s going to happen without having the experience. So it’s like, am I ready enough to take the step? That’s the only thing I need to be ready enough for. And sometimes that change in perspective can make a difference that I don’t have to be ready. I just have to be ready enough.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Right. That makes tremendous sense.

David Livingston, LMFT: Yeah, right, it’s never going to be right, because there’s always going to be some ambivalence, right, that that the ability to understand, like one of one of the hallmarks of maturity, is the ability to tolerate ambivalence, meaning that nothing’s perfect. There’s always things we like and things we don’t like and everything. But, you know, so the good enough idea is just kind of allows us to kind of then, you know, like we’re talking about kind of parse and then decide where we want to, you know, OK, yeah, let’s do it.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Yeah, and I think one of the big obstacles both to entering treatment and to having empathy for the for those that have not had the addiction struggles and they’re trying to support a friend or family member, a loved one, it’s it’s difficult to understand the different perspectives of what does it really mean to get sober. We tend to think of it as, oh, I’ll get this treatment and then everything is going to be, you know, everything’s going to be great because I’ll be healthy. And that’s a very simplistic way to look at it.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And if people have tried it all before, they know that getting into treatment and being sober is not especially not immediately wonderful.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: It is not just simplistic, but I think that is a tremendous amount of responsibility put on the shoulders of the person getting treatment, the family expects this person to come back doing absolutely wonderful with plans for your future with, you know, a stable place. There such expectation that it makes it for frustration because they know the feeling of failure? “I’ve failed you.” Where they they did not. There is a process, there is a process, and everybody speeds through that process is different.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Yeah.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: And family expectations are so unreal that they are detrimental to the person coming home.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: When we have stopped having what might be our primary way of coping with stress, you know, even if it was killing us, we’ve now stopped it. And we get into a situation where everyone’s like, OK, mission accomplished. And it’s like actually no, like mission begun, you know. One of the things that we can forget is that we all cope with life in different ways. And I think if the way people cope hasn’t been destructive to their lives and their health and it isn’t illegal, maybe they do whatever they do, they have a hobby or something. Maybe they do it a little too much. Maybe they still, you know, aren’t completely healthy in how they manage it. But they’ve never had to really look at it because it isn’t drugs, it isn’t alcohol. Nobody’s going to die or lose a job or get a, you know, criminal citation for it. So they’ve never really had to think about what would they do without it if you couldn’t have your, you know, that that racquetball game or whatever, and then tell me that my life is wonderful now that I stopped doing it. And there’s that component people have to be aware of, I think, when someone’s trying to be sober.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Then we come to the realization, what is treatment and what the treatment is made to provide or what this treatment really provides. There is a misconception of what treatment can actually help the patient with and what kind of work it is still, you know, waiting to be done, I think. And that’s not just the fault of the patient and the family, but from the treatment centers saying, oh, they’ll be here for 30 or 90 days and we’re going to work with their addiction and mental health and find something for them to do. So the families actually showed they know this endless pot of gold that is not reality and I think makes the patient feel like a failure when truly the treatment failed the patient.

David Livingston, LMFT: It’s not as if you go to treatment and then you’re cured. That’s not true. You can go to treatment and become sober. And in that way, you are certainly better and you can get time and get detoxed. And all of that in terms of of being a goal is achievable. And and so that’s a possibility. But ultimately, if you’re alive, you’re going to have anxiety. If you’re alive, you’re going to have fear, periods of some feeling down, some level of even mild depression, you’re going to have. You’re going to have all of the elements that come with being alive. You’re going to have hopefully successes and certainly some failures and losses. Nobody avoids it. So that’s ultimately the goal in treatment. Like what kind of all talking about is to become psychologically minded like that. When you are afraid you have a capacity to think about the fear. Well, like, you can parse it and you have a way and you and if you’re struggling with it in a way that you can’t get a handle for, you’re not afraid to ask for help for it we’re all better when we get help.

David Livingston, LMFT: And, you know, and none of us have it all figured out for ourselves, especially for ourselves. And so it isn’t just a kind of a one and out thing. It becomes a mode of living, a mode of being that gets internalized and understood to carry forward. And that’s how we’re healthier. And, you know, and it’s, you know, the danger of laying it out like that is it sounds daunting, right? It’s like, “Oh, my God, I got. So what is that? I got to do this forever or whatever.” You know, when people are in treatment or I mean, not like a detox or a long-term treatment, but you can continue therapy one hour a week. I mean, you’ve got to exercise more than one hour a week to stay in decent shape. It’s so, you know, just a way of understanding how to stay healthy is. To me, you know that’s what I sort of, you know, and I think ultimately you’re both saying the same thing in your own way. So I just agree.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I like the attitude of health management. That’s one of the things I’ve really learned from from talking talking with you, Clare. And, David, you’re talking about really the extension of that, which is to say, my emotional health is just one component of any of my other health.

David Livingston, LMFT: We get into a mindset of treatment or sobriety or even health management. If we think of it as an event, we’re always going to be disappointed because to that question of that you posed, David, “Do I have to do this forever?” It’s like, yes, in a way, but but what you have to do forever is actually just “life” is just live. And this will be a part of your health management. And certainly that’s something we always have to do. And I think that puts it into a less daunting idea to say, oh, this is just part of me living my healthy life.

David Livingston, LMFT: One hundred percent, I don’t exercise enough a week, my anxiety goes up just because of, you know, I need that is just a baseline of helping manage the, you know, and physically having the exertion just relaxes my body. So, you know, I just it’s so it’s I know that. So I do it. And so you create these healthy routines. You know, it’s amazing that if you can create healthy habits and routines, it’s amazing to what degree they can carry your life. And so, you know, treatment is the beginning of, I think, establishing some of that.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: One of the big questions I was looking forward to talking about was this idea of how can we work with treatment goals when we have a situation where someone’s life is busy or overwhelming. I’ve been thinking about this ever since. Ah, one episode where, Clare, you gave an example of someone who might say, you know, they have something with someone who’s started college or someone who has something with a deadline attached to it. And the idea of some of the obstacles that keep people from treatment when they have lots of stuff happening in their life, is it always necessary to say drop everything for a big intervention right away? And how often does that keep people from doing anything at all?

Clare Waismann, CAODC: I think it is, but I think, you know, the situation itself and the risk that the person is in needs to be evaluated, you know, properly. Yes, I think there should not be one decision for everybody. If you are, you know, using any kind of substance, you’ve got to drop everything and go into a rehab for 60 days. There’s something else to do. While some people might need to know the long term treatment other people might need, they detox. And going back to school or whatever they are doing is their best form of therapy is becoming productive and able to, you know, be emotionally present for a good psychotherapy or even mental health medication, something.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I do sometimes think that, yeah, people do limit their own engagement with treatment when they think of it as a kind of an all or nothing option. Well, you know, if I can’t just go and be gone for 60, 90 days or whatever or dedicate a whole year to a, you know, heavy program, then I just don’t do anything at all.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: And that keeps a lot of people from getting treatment. And David has seen that quite a bit where the families say, well, after this I want them to go into sober living for six months or I want them to go into a rehab for three months, and where David’s going to say actually that’s detrimental for this patient, for this situation.

David Livingston, LMFT: At times it is. It’s a long time to lead your life. And then ultimately, whatever you’re coming back to, whether it’s two weeks or 30 days or six months, you still going to have to navigate it when you come back. And how do you look at the potential benefit compared to the depth of the disruption like we’re talking about is a lot to get thought about and weighed in. Many people get involved in drugs and really want off them and just need some accountability process. One of the things that I often suggest is that if you want accountability, you don’t necessarily have to go away somewhere for six months. You can do drug testing at home. You can just have somebody’s drug test them and have someone who knows. And then there’s an accountability process. They don’t have to give up or disrupt their life entirely. And there’s also opioid blockers and things of that nature which can give added protection and help. So there’s several different ways to actually maybe even strengthen a person’s life and sobriety without a disruption that feels so overwhelming that they won’t even consider it and then end up in trouble because of it.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Sometimes it’s even cost if they’re like, well, I just don’t have a ton of money, I don’t have good insurance, so I won’t even look into it.

David Livingston, LMFT: Exactly.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Trying to find things and get innovative and creative in programming. Sometimes just gathering information can also help because you’re that much closer. It’s funny, I think about there were times where I learned this from working in agencies that people would call in and ask for help with something. And there are times where at the point of intake, the person answering the phone or, you know, you look at their referring reason of why they’re coming in and there can be a tendency sometimes to immediately refer, oh, wait, no, we don’t do that here. You got to go there. We don’t do that here. You got to go there. Oh, you know, you need this program. No, no. You’re using that much. You should go to the hospital. I think sometimes we overdo that.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: I’ve learned personally when as a private practitioner when someone calls into my secretary and they give a little update and make an appointment and I look at it and I say, oh, this looks like a pretty hairy situation. I don’t know if outpatient counseling is going to be enough. I’ve learned to always at least have that first appointment and say, so what’s going on? Because sometimes it’s exactly like what you’re talking, David, where it’s like, oh, well, if we supplement our In-Session work with a few other things, then actually this is something we can do at this level. The risk isn’t that high. And other times it is something where they might need to go somewhere like Waismann Method^® and do something more intensive. But then at least we’ve talked and I’ve listened, and it’s more likely that they’re going to say, oh, there are options for me. I don’t have to just do one or the other thing or just do nothing at all.

David Livingston, LMFT: Exactly. And they’re looking to connect and really understand and find some way forward. There are so many different options and ideas out there and a lot of people are confused?

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Well, and the idea of everything good that I do equals some results, and that’s something I really feel like I’ve learned and picked up from you, David, a lot when we’ve talked. You often talk about how if I can do something little healthy, I’ll start to feel a little better. Just like if I do a lot of healthy things, I might feel a lot better.

David Livingston, LMFT: People don’t know how strong they can be if they really don’t what they’re capable of and if they have little successes and little successes and little successes, they start to get a feeling for that. And you really can get some momentum. I remember coming home with this big TV and looking at it with all the wires and everything and thinking there’s no way I got to call someone. And then going on the Internet, looking up to the exact type of TV and seeing how you put it all together. And now I could do that and I know nothing about that stuff. But for me, that was a big deal, actually, of learning to do something that felt really scary and foreign to me. And it was not nearly as hard as I as it seemed in my mind.

David Livingston, LMFT: I wonder if it might be it might be good if each of us picture let’s say if somebody is listening to us who is saying, I know that I need to get started with some kind of treatment, what’s one thing we would say to help them face those obstacles? What do you think, Clare?

Clare Waismann, CAODC: I think it’s a what type of treatment do you need? OK, what are we talking about? Are we talking about a detoxification to get off the drugs, about mental health? Are we talking about medical mental health? Is this somebody that has clinical depression? Is this somebody that will need a psychiatrist to follow? So I think an accurate assessment of the person’s history. It’s incredibly important. First and foremost, find a professional. And when I say a professional is not a somebody that suffered the same issues is a true professional that can assess this person in let’s, number one, plan based on their individual needs. And let’s really talk about the expectations of each of the treatments. I mean, we are very complex human beings. You can’t get a one-stop-shop and fix your whole life.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: So, A, are you not able to withdraw on your own? OK, so we need a detox and effective detox, not one that punishes you and makes you suffer, but one that is effective and can get you from A to Z after detox. You know, is your life right now manageable? You know, are you going to work? You have a family. Are things completely out of hand? Have you ever been diagnosed with any mental health issues? And it sounds more complicated than truly is. So going back, what’s the first step? The first step is actually identifying a capable professional that can help you plan the right path with you and take a bit of this, the weight off your shoulders.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Great! David, what do you think?

David Livingston, LMFT: Yeah, right, I mean, like you’re pointing out to White that somebody who will spend some time and help you think it through like you do when people call in and you really sort of help them understand their needs and just so that that they can see a process that makes sense to them.

Clare Waismann, CAODC: Let me give you a perfect example, Dwight. So yesterday a mom called here, OK? And what she described regarding her daughter is something that is possibly way beyond what we can provide. Ok, yeah, but I did not cross it out for her and say, no, we can’t help you. We can’t help your daughter. So what I said to her is I’m going to give you other options. But if you still want to have an assessment with the medical director and the therapist, we can do an intake. You can talk to them, and there’s no commitment from you to us or from us to you. It just gives us all a bit more information to make sure this is the right path for her or the first step for whatever path she may need. So I said to her, my everything you’re saying, it sounds like she’s going to need a lot more than we can offer. With that said, we can’t make that assessment on a ten-minutes call, but this is offered to her, so we never know.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: One of the things I would say is that when you if your obstacle is the way that you’re afraid of being treated, then you need to make sure that you’re calling place or finding places that will treat you and evaluate you just the way like Clare is saying. I wouldn’t want to, you know, get treatment of any kind from somewhere that gave me an answer in five or 10 minutes where they’re not really listening to me. And that turns me off. I think anybody being willing to take that step and just finding one thing that they can do, whether it’s making that phone call, gives them information, that’s going to lead to another step.

David Livingston, LMFT: One of the core fears is that they won’t get the right thing. Whatever they decide to do won’t be actually right for them. And they won’t. You know, and if you could take the time and really try to hear somebody and listen to them, it is it’s a gift. Even if it’s if you have the right treatment or not the right treatment, just to really hear them and talk to them in a way that makes them feel like you actually understand what their needs are and you’re making sense to those needs. It’s just it’s immediately helpful.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: And we’re going to leave it there. On that note, I hope you find some hope that some of the obstacles and barriers you or your loved ones might face can definitely be pushed through. Please remember to just try, try something new. If you can do a little then do a little. If you can do a lot, we’ll help you do a lot. If you can do a medium, well, you get the picture yet you heard the episode.

Dwight Hurst, CMHC: Waismann Method^® podcast is, as always, brought to you by the Waismann Method Rapid Detox. You can learn more about us at opiates.com. Follow us on Twitter @opiates or pick up the phone and dial 1-800-423-2482. And we’d love to answer your questions there on the phone just as much as we love to hear on the podcast. The music for our podcast is the song Medical by Clean Mind Sounds. This podcast is produced and edited by  Popped Collar Productions, a company specializing in helping you get your podcasts off the ground, especially those in the health care industry. Basically, if you love to help people check out poppedcollar.net, we’ll help you set up your show and we hope that you’ll tune in again soon. Keep asking questions because if you ask questions, you’ll find answers. And whenever you can find answers, you can find hope. Bye-bye for now.