I used to be a cog in the war on drugs

So my last job was doing drug and alcohol assessments mostly for people on probation. Before you start calling out my hypocrisy, let me say that I needed a job and got out as soon as I could because I couldn't stand being a part of the bullshit war on drugs. That being said, I feel like maybe my experience could be helpful in some way to people caught up in that system. Because once you're part of the system the deck is often stacked against you.

So maybe this is just me trying to lessen my guilt of my role in all of it. But I'm opening the floor to questions in general. Questions about the required d&a assessment or dealing with probation officers. Basically I want a chance to give honest answers that I couldn't when by job was on the line. So fire away, blades.

 

Well that's a very broad question. And to be honest I wouldn't advise subversion to be your primary goal to survive probation. But like for the d&a assessment I'd have people thinking they could just say "no" to all my questions and I wouldn't put them into treatment (aka group or classes). Because I won't lie there is pressure to put people in who don't need it because how else would the agency and DOC keep the money coming. So people's best approach was not "no it was my friends; I've never touched anything ever in my life; I just have bad luck" was not giving me what I needed to make a case for them not to be in group. Plus I'm not going to lie because I would sometimes get bitched at for not putting people in group. So when you're not owning up to anything I have no clue what your game is so no I'm not gonna put my ass on the line to keep you out of treatment. So even if it was your friend's shit or it was just bad luck take responsibility for some piece of what made you wind up In my office and hopefully I can give you less groups or no groups. Once you're in the system it can't all be about subversion. Having that mindest may work for awhile but it will catch up to you. Think of it more as a know when to hold em, and know when to fold em type of situation.

 

Well I hate to say it but partly it's kind of a matter of keeping your head down and doing what you need to do to get off probation. Because while in the system you're not on equal footing and so trying to fight the system isn't going to go well. But at the same time know your rights.


And I get that have the state constantly looking over your shoulder would make you want to smoke more. I mean there is so much that feels out of your control. So focus on what you can control. Like sometimes I'd see be resentful of being on probation so smoking anyway was their way of saying "f you nobody tells me what to do"but like you said pissing dirty isn't in your best interest. So try to find things (no matter how small) that you still have control over to feel less like your life is completely in someone else's hands. You gotta stay focused on the goal of getting off probation so your life is your own again and not let your pride or temptations get in the way of that.

 

Yes I'm a smoker.