“I’m not making a woman carry something that heavy.”
“You are aware we are both women, right?”
“You know what I mean,” huffed Kerrie. “Did you put it in your trunk yourself?”
“No, like you, Matty also views me as someone who needs help. I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself, but if you two want to throw your backs out to be chivalrous, then why should I fight it? It saves my back and makes you feel better.”
Kerrie frowned, then muttered, “That sounds like something Bette would say.”
“Smart woman.”
“Miss Reese, I’ve got the list for you,” Tim, the new Upper Sparrow coordinator, said over the bulky yellow walkie-talkie clipped to her jeans. They were allowed casual clothing on Fridays.
“Thank you. Could you take it to Jayvon to put on a playlist for me? Also, are there a few guys around that could help me arrange the basement? Oh, and could you or another green tag go to the cafeteria and get a box of snacks Elaine has for us?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Today was Reese’s favorite day of the week, Fun Friday. Kerrie mostly left it to Reese to run, joining in only occasionally. More formal groups were her style.
It didn’t take long for a few men to come bounding down the stairs. Clients usually liked to stay busy, especially those who used stimulating substances. Their bodies were still very much trying to sort themselves out.
“Okay, guys, we need a lot of wall space and at least a table or two in the middle. John, come here.”
John was a large man, very solidly built with a missing front tooth and a big teddy bear personality. He immediately moved over to her. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Will you move these stacks of chairs into the far corner, please? Blain, will you come upstairs with me and help me carry the supplies down?”
With them all working together, it didn’t take long for them to ready the basement for Fun Friday.
The basement was filled with men, all gathering a cup of coffee and looking slightly confused, especially the newer ones.
“Here’s the snacks, Miss Reese.”
“Thank you, Kenneth.” She placed the box on one of the tables. She found an assortment of Valentine’s Day cookies about to expire and enough apples for everyone to have one for sure. “Not a bad haul. So, there’s enough for everyone to have one bag of cookies and one apple. Please don’t overtake. It took me two weeks of begging to get these. There won’t be extra. So, today, we’re going to do Fun Friday. For our new guys, can someone tell them what that is?”
Blain’s hand raised. He was getting better about waiting to be called on. “Instead of regular Group, we’re doing something fun.”
“Right, and why is that?”
He frowned. “To have fun?”
Reese chuckled. “Yes, to have fun. Does anyone know what the ‘feel good’ chemical inside us is?”
Silence.
She was pretty sure someone knew, but some people were difficult to engage, especially if they were new.
“Dopamine. Dopamine is what helps us to feel enjoyment. It’s what makes us excited for things. Finding enjoyment during or after drug use can be hard. Some of that is social issues. You’ve isolated yourself or lost your social support. Some of you worked and went home and drank until bed, then got up and did it all again, never seeking out things that once made you happy.
Our bodies have all sorts of chemicals and receptors and words I’m not going to bore you with. Substance use can impact those. Let’s take cocaine users for example. The high is like dopamine on steroids, but it doesn’t last long. It’s there and gone, and now you’ve got to go chase it. Over time, the drug starts to take a toll on your body’s ability to regulate itself.”
One man looked confused, so she went over to one of the dry-erase boards. She drew a line. “Um, think of it like this. Your good-feeling endorphins have an average range when you’re not using. This line is the average. With cocaine, it spikes super high, well above the norm.” She drew a long arrow pointing up. “What goes up must come down, right?”
Heads nodded.
“Only, at this height, it’s going to drop below the average.” She drew another line going well below the average. “Over time, it’s going to keep going up and down, and your body forgets where the average is.” She scribbled up and down chaotically. “After a while, bodies forget how to find enjoyment. How to get that high from things other than drugs. Fun Friday is to show you that you can still have fun.”
“Doesn’t fucking do the same thing? I think that would be more fun.”
