If you have read my book, PREHAB, you'll know that I am a strong advocate of vocational redirection when necessary to recovery and rehabilitation. With "Joe" these discussions have been on-going for the past 8 years. As a musician and poet (he is listed as such in wikipedia), Joe's world collided constantly with drug abuse and alcohol consumption, and whereas the music industry isn't necessarily about drugs and alcohol, it is certainly more involved with these substances than most other industries. There are several possible explanations for this, but none are relevant to this discourse and would best be saved for another blog devoted to the music industry-suffice to say I have a great deal to complain about within the recording and musical performance industry. In the past, Joe and I have always come to the same precipice where he starts out as the living dead, then comes to see me, becomes restored, only to return to the very conditions the promoted his abuse. I have long advocated the need for a vocational change for Joe, and maybe-just maybe if we're lucky-I think we might have turned a very important corner.

During one of our down times, Joe and I were watching television and a commercial came on asking for donations to a disadvantaged, physically handicapped youth program. The words and images evoked a deep reaction in Joe unlike any I have seen in him before. He turned to me and said "I think that's somethin' I might like to do..."

I was stunned, but immediately reacted by telling him that it would be a wonderful thing to turn his talents to the disadvantaged and to dedicate some time to helping the needy. This really was an extension of an ongoing discussion we have had for years and was the basis for the chapter in PREHAB devoted to this issue: a willingness to alter course or career. This particular idea also involved the chapter on selflessly giving as a means to heal. I also immediately chimed in that I could make that happen for him in a heartbeat. He fell silent, contemplating the real possibility of delving into a field that had a completely different ego associated with it. Our talks about this possibility kept on going throughout the day and night and into this morning. I told him at breakfast today that if he wished he could stay in Sacramento and go with my friend and first ex-wife, Susan, to help at her school. Susan has been an exceptional teacher of the orthopedically handicapped for the past 35 years. She works at a unit within the San Juan Unified School District that instructs multi-handicapped youth. Susan could pick Joe up on her way to school in the morning. This would force Joe to stick to the time schedule he is presently on. After a few hours Joe would be picked up for volunteer work at a karate school in Rocklin. In the evenings he would attend an AA meeting and workout at a club (I have made arrangements for his boarding and transportation).

This is a new and very exciting possibility for Joe who had never envisioned himself doing anything other than getting high and doing music. We talked about how shaking things up can be a wonderfully cathartic experience and we spoke of the delights children can bring to the heart. Even if it were only for a few days, the exposure to these children will do wonders for Joe's ego-structure. To see that he can be successful at something other than music, and to be selflessly giving, will open Joe to whole new realms of possibility for him. We talked about his not having to prove anything to anyone. That his past is just that-his past. Joe has assimilated PREHAB and owned its tenets. He believes he is on the right pathway for him and I couldn't agree more.We are giving it this weekend to ruminate over this and if all goes wee Sunday evening I will deliver him to Sacramento. At some point I have to trust and have faith in Joe's desire to move forward. Joe is strong in his rehab. This is a great time to test us both.

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PREHAB: The Essentials for Successful Change
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