I received a comment from a blog reader, Michael, asking if I was going to blog about Michael Jackson.  I must say he has come up in so many conversations lately and especially within the treatment community.  I won’t comment on any specifics because I’m not sure what really happen, nor am I sure any of us ever will.  But all the reports I’m seeing now point to dependence on prescription drugs.  I know he suffered injuries in his work and had a doctor with him almost constantly.  So often, people in legitimate medical need of prescription pain pills find themselves on a very slippery slope that leads to substance abuse and dependence.  The fact that these pills are legal when prescribed gives a false sense of safety. to many.  We think these pills are “safe” or “safer than street drugs” simply because they have brand name and prescription bottle.  Even before I worked in the treatment community I saw so many friends and friends of friends who simply got injured, were prescribed pain pills and then they found themselves out of control.  They are good people, not seeking a “high” but seeking to feel a sense of normalcy they can no longer feel.  Again, as I’ve said in other posts, I am not a therapist or counselor; I am speaking from my own life experience when I share here.  However, I am an equine specialist here at Spirit Lake and I often have the opportunity to work with clients and our horses here.  Often an activity as simple as walking a horse through an obstacle course can trigger a client to share an experience from their own life.  Obstacles may represent friends, feed buckets represent the temptation of alcohol/drugs, a spooked horse now represents their own fear of relapse.  It is so moving to be a part of it and see the clients apply the lessons they learned through their own experience.  So when I see someone in my life or even on TV struggling or sadly, losing the battle with addiction, I think of how lessons can be learned and lives recovered.  I’ve been blessed enough to see it happen.  To bring it back to Michael Jackson, I pray for peace for him and his loved ones and I wish he could have gotten the treatment he needed.  But I do hope, as I always do when I see famous people splashed in the headlines dealing with addiction and its dire consequences, that it will move others to seek help.  Maybe the veil of shame associated with this disease will be lifted even more and those struggling will realize, like in Michael’s song,  “you are not  alone” and go to a meeting, start or restart treatment, and never, ever give up.    Blessings, Ginger