Mike Pond Reflection

#1
The first takeaway is not specifically about Mike Pond and his experience but about myself. My attitude and preconceived ideas about the detox and rehab experience drastically changed. Thanks to Mike Pond’s willingness to share all the details of his period of suffering, turmoil and battles of addiction, my attitude shifted. Consequently, I found that at the end of the book my understanding pertaining to what an addict goes through in their efforts to quit was also changed. I feel the book has increased my capacity to be more empathic, nonjudgmental and sensitive to the hardships of the alcoholic and/or addict. I do not and will not have all the answers. However, I may be able to better build the client/counselor relationship of trust and

mutual respect that hopefully will lead to the client’s recovery.
#2
In the first half of the book, Pond was not motivated to make a change.

This is evidenced in chapter 7. He was talked into going to detox for the first time by his family and some individuals from his local Alcoholics Anonymous. Then it was with the help from his physician. It was not his whole-hearted desire or decision at that time. In some individuals, this may have been enough. But in Ponds case he had to go through much of his addiction to alcohol, make a decision on his own and have the support and medical attention from all angles that he needed. Until this was all in alignment, things did not change for him. He kept going back to his addiction know matter how damaging it was to him, what he recalled from his experiences with his father when he was a child or how badly he was hurting his family, friends and career (pg.

48).
#3
The third mental image I take away from this book is the horror, degradation and loss of himself that he was willing to put up with. I could also say the third image I take away from this book is the horror, degradation and loss of himself he felt he deserved. On page 68 he even references an individual who states, “here we are, a bunch of loosers”. He became involved with a woman that was at least as far gone as he was if not more. Consequently, he was then forced to surrounded himself with others who were worse off than he. Additionally, being forced to go spend time in the prison environment may have given him the time, mindless work and peace he needed to begin to get his head together. I found it seemed odd as I read the chapters relating to the focus he placed on retaining his RN practitioner license. He almost appeared to be obsessed with this. Maybe it is what gave him the sliver of hope that he could one day be normal and addiction- free again.
# 4
I found it odd as I read the chapters relating to the focus he placed on retaining his psychiatric nursing license.

He almost appeared to be obsessed with this. Maybe it is what gave him the sliver of hope that he could one day be normal and addiction-free. Additionally, I was confused about the way the hospital allowed him to keep his job and give medications. Even after he came to work wasted and had no memory of the incident they tried to help him keep the job (pg. 109). I suppose in my mind I thought he would be better off in a job that was not so stressful and in which others would not be stressed that he was going to do something wrong. And, he did do something wrong. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the fact that he still wanted to be in an environment in which they all knew he was an alcoholic, didn’t trust or want him to be there and seemed like they wanted him to fail. That being said, he seemed to have a special knack and ability to connect with the patients on the adolescent unit. He was good at this and may be this was another thing that gave him

hope.
#5
The fifth take away is twofold. The way I see it, Pond learned from his father that coping through drinking was acceptable (pg. 28-33). He was witness to things no child should ever be exposed to. Even his brother was negatively and critically affected. He most likely had a genetic predisposition towards addiction as well as psychosocial factors. The combination almost cost him his life.
After attending an Alcoholic Anonymous (AA) meeting myself I can understand why the meeting did not solely cure Pond’s addiction. I like that he brought up the theory of motivational interviewing (MI). With motivational interviewing the client has the opportunity to draw from their own power, influence and resiliency to enact a change and/or transformation from within. This is something AA does not allow. I like that he suggests on page 354 that MI works optimally when used in combination with other therapies. It is wonderful that AA can be found in so many places to bring together people who have similar issues and can support one another. But, in reality, AA alone could not save Pond. I learned a lot from reading this book and am glad this was an assignment because I may have never read it on my own.