Frank Sommerville

[KooLaid]

WRT ‘loving’ portuguese women - yeah, they are awesome, but also (and you didn't’ hear it from me) batshit. they are usually small, beautiful and outwardly charming. but it's deceiving. you kinda got to go into it like combat - full body armor.

LoL that is completely correct.

I'm a sucker for the batshit crazy on the inside though. Men beware though, she WILL stab you because she loves you if you piss her off. Or just a good love tap from her truck or suv.

 

[lizard]

PS - What do Portuguese grandmothers have in common with Tom Selleck?

Mustaches.

 

[Jammer]

BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!

Mike Mibach is replacing Frank Somerville as KNTV Co-host of the 10 O'clock news!!!

Frank is still in rehab at an undisclosed location up north.

 

[lizard]

BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!

Mike Mibach is replacing Frank Somerville as KNTV Co-host of the 10 O'clock news!!!

Frank is still in rehab at an undisclosed location up north.

Interesting background. Bechtel father. SI alum. Approved!

 

[gixxerjeff]

BREAKING NEWS!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!

Mike Mibach is replacing Frank Somerville as KNTV Co-host of the 10 O'clock news!!!

Frank is still in rehab at an undisclosed location up north.

True but it's KTVU.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

Frank is still in rehab at an undisclosed location up north.

Mt Vista Farm?

It gets me that they have the dude in their ad rolling in an empty suitcase. You couldn't grab some towels to at least make it look like there was something in that bag?

 

[Johndicezx9]

You get searched going in, you get searched coming out...

 

[Jammer]

My son spent time at Mountain Vista Farm. The funny thing is that they don't have caffeinated coffee cause caffeine is a stimulant, but smoking is a ok.

I noted that people were smoking everywhere and I asked why they allowed nicotine since it is also a stimulant. A counselor pointed out that they allowed it cause it was too difficult to get a good rehab result if they didn't allow smoking.

 

[gixxerjeff]

My son spent time at Mountain Vista Farm. The funny thing is that they don't have caffeinated coffee cause caffeine is a stimulant, but smoking is a ok.

I noted that people were smoking everywhere and I asked why they allowed nicotine since it is also a stimulant. A counselor pointed out that they allowed it cause it was too difficult to get a good rehab result if they didn't allow smoking.

There is a lot of misinformation here.
Caffeinated coffee is available daily up until 10:00am. Access to caffeine is restricted because a good part of the population is there for stimulant addictions. There are also individuals coming off of multi-day meth binges. The last thing you want is someone struggling with drug induced pychosis to be more awake.

Nicotine, while granted is a stimulant, is another story. The comment about "good rehab result' is utter bullshit and I can't imagine that ever coming out of a counselor's mouth. While I recognize a potential philosophical conflict regarding allowing one addiction while fighting another, it really comes down to harm reduction. Residents are often painfully detoxing off of some severe chemicals and use patterns. They feel itchy enough as it is without throwing another physical and mental obstacle at them. Cigarette smoking didn't create the chaos and consequences in their lives that landed them in a treatment facility. That is simply not why they are there.
As to the comment about people "smoking everywhere".....more bad info. There is one designated place to smoke and there are specific times when it's allowed. It's hardly the free-for-all you describe.
I sincerely hope your son is doing well.

 

[AdamFiveFive]

Smoking is the hardest habit to break. I spoke with someone at a local recovery service who told me that. People stop heroin and cocaine, and continue to smoke.

 

[wazzuFreddo]

Smoking is the hardest habit to break. I spoke with someone at a local recovery service who told me that. People stop heroin and cocaine, and continue to smoke.

A friend of mine told me the same thing, that he had a way harder time kicking cigarettes than he did heroin.

But the difference is I’ve never heard of anyone ODing off a cigarette relapse.

 

[Eldritch]

Huh. I quit cigarettes, cold turkey, no problem.

I think to Fred's point though, part of the problem is that the physical consequences of relapse are so insignificant with cigarettes.

It is all kind of shades of grey, one might argue that carbs are a harder addiction to quit than cigarettes. With less dangerous products than hard drugs, it sort becomes more of a conversation about your tolerance of pollutant products, you know?

 

[Jammer]

There is a lot of misinformation here.
Caffeinated coffee is available daily up until 10:00am. Access to caffeine is restricted because a good part of the population is there for stimulant addictions. There are also individuals coming off of multi-day meth binges. The last thing you want is someone struggling with drug induced pychosis to be more awake.

Nicotine, while granted is a stimulant, is another story. The comment about "good rehab result' is utter bullshit and I can't imagine that ever coming out of a counselor's mouth. While I recognize a potential philosophical conflict regarding allowing one addiction while fighting another, it really comes down to harm reduction. Residents are often painfully detoxing off of some severe chemicals and use patterns. They feel itchy enough as it is without throwing another physical and mental obstacle at them. Cigarette smoking didn't create the chaos and consequences in their lives that landed them in a treatment facility. That is simply not why they are there.
As to the comment about people "smoking everywhere".....more bad info. There is one designated place to smoke and there are specific times when it's allowed. It's hardly the free-for-all you describe.
I sincerely hope your son is doing well.

This information came from the main dude when my son was two weeks into this stay during our family counseling session. I don't remember his name and their protocols may have changed, but there was no caffeinated coffee to be had and smoking was allowed. This was in the late 90's.

 

[greenmonster]

Jammer - how did your son do there? - granted it was 20+ years ago and a lot of things are different now.

 

[gixxerjeff]

This was in the late 90's.

Much has changed in the world over the last two decades, including treatment protocols at residential facilities and the chemicals they are there to address.

 

[Climber]

Much has changed in the world over the last two decades, including treatment protocols at residential facilities and the chemicals they are there to address.

Have success rates gotten better over the last couple decades?

How about the AA groups? They seemed pretty clicheish, viewing normal people suspiciously and having derogatory terms (among members) for people who hadn't been addicts. My perception was that long term AA attendance kept them always on the edge of their past addiction keeping many from moving past that phase of their life. Every person who I've heard of moving fully on with their life didn't stay with AA more than a year.

Granted, my exposure is small so there is probably a lot more variables going on and different necessities for some versus others.

 

[gixxerjeff]

Have success rates gotten better over the last couple decades?

How about the AA groups? They seemed pretty clicheish, viewing normal people suspiciously and having derogatory terms (among members) for people who hadn't been addicts. My perception was that long term AA attendance kept them always on the edge of their past addiction keeping many from moving past that phase of their life. Every person who I've heard of moving fully on with their life didn't stay with AA more than a year.

Granted, my exposure is small so there is probably a lot more variables going on and different necessities for some versus others.

Good questions, Brett.
Talking about success rates and even about specific programs such as AA, SMART Recovery, Refuge Recovery, etc is like talking about religion. People seem to be dug pretty deeply into their specific camps.
In terms of approach, AA is the 900lb gorilla in the room and too many people believe it to be the only option available as in many cases it's all they are exposed to. It certainly has a record of success and an unparalleled following in terms of sheer numbers, but as I mentioned, it's not the only game in town. As a counselor, I make an effort to meet the client where they are. If they tell me from the beginning they struggle with the whole "higher power" thing I get it and help them discover outlets and assets that line up more closely to where they're comfortable. I'm not a Big Book thumper myself, I understand and am happy to present them with other avenues of support. As far as AA chapters being "cliquey", yes that happens and it's unavoidable to a degree but a person just needs to find the groups of people they have a chemistry with, just as we do in the rest of society. Humans are social animals and gravitate to like minded settings. Offices and even high schools aren't much different in that regard. My personal approach is more rooted in clinically based methods such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). I try to give my client's a good foundation in that and promote the support groups like AA and SMART as a component of their aftercare.
As far as "success rates"...that's a tricky one. The numbers at a glance look pretty depressing. It's important to dig deeper and look at the totality of the individuals involved. Most statistics are based on anyone who is engaged in a treatment episode. That would include prison programs and people that are mandated by the courts as a condition of their release. Others are motivated by pressure from family, friends or employers. A large number of those people are not participating in a program voluntarily, or at a minimum don't recognize they have a problem and would prefer not to be there. Those individuals skew the success numbers in a negative way. The numbers I would be most interested in seeing would be represented by the individuals that really want to change their lives and are invested in their program. I am convinced the "success rate" of those people, if accurately measured, would be far more optimistic.

 

[Climber]

Always great to get your input on this subject, Jeff! Total respect for your continuing to try to help people caught up in this, I don't know how you keep doing it for so long, it must be the successes that keep you going!

I realized that as I was reading your post that what you do isn't too far off from coaching High School athletes. Most aren't going to achieve the levels that they hope for, but some will, and often it's the amount of effort and focus they're willing to put in to succeed along with (in track) a fair amount of genetics that help give them the edge to succeed. I imagine that genetics can play a role in treatment, as well, with some more predisposed to be addicted to something than others.

It seems you have a similar passion for this as I do for coaching Track.

 

[Jammer]

Jammer - how did your son do there? - granted it was 20+ years ago and a lot of things are different now.

It broke his habit while he was there. He continued to use when he got home, moved out due to not meeting the 2am weekday curfew rule we agree to, became homeless for a time, and moved into grandparent's house.

I think he had an epiphany while holding the pipe to his lips and it just struck him that this was not the life he wanted. He sat it down and walked away from his 'friends'.

He got a job at the California conservation corps, got his GED, then his high school diploma, joined the Carpenter's Union now 20 years ago and is working as a Foreman. Married with two kids and struggling like the rest of us to live here in the beautiful Bay area.

A much different life than the one we saw him leading, thank goodness.

 

[Climber]

Jammer, glad things worked out for your son!