[splitimage]

I just find this kind of amusing. For the past 7 weeks I've been taking an on-line course on psych meds and drugs of substance abuse. It's run by my psych hospital. I only got to take it because I'm a volunteer there on the telephone support line. Anyway I was the only person in the course who identified as a consumer and admitted to having an addiction. Everyone else was either a social worker or health care professional working in either mental health or addictions treatment.

It's been a great course. I've learned loads about how the brain works, how the different classes of psych meds work, how different street drugs affect the brain and the body and the interaction between the two. I've learned loads and have a much better understanding of what alcohol did to me and how my various meds work. It's all been good.

Each week discussion questions are posted that relate back to the material covered, and I've been having a lot of fun bringing a consumer's perspective to the course, since I know first hand about addiction and psych meds.

But the final week's case study made me laugh. It was tailor made for me to answer. It was basically about a severe longterm alcoholic who was also bipolar. Question 1 was about withdrawl symptoms and whether he'd require medical intervention during detox. Given the number of times I've detoxed both with and without medical intervention, I pretty much know every withdrawal symptom there is. I also know a lot about meds and dosages used in medically managed withdrawal programs since I've been through 3 of those. It was hard not to write a novel.

Then question 2 was on whether the patient could benefit from meds in helping him stop drinking. Given that I'm on 2 out of the three available meds, and seriously considered the third but found out it was contra-indicated in the case of concurrent disorders, I was able to go into pros and cons, side effects, efficacy, and risks as well as dosage info.

Comparing my answers to the other people's in the course, it's clear I know way more alcohol addiction and medical management than any of them, It kind of makes me laugh.

Nice to know my sometimes disasterous past has some practical application now.

--splitimage

[NuckingFutz]

That is incredible. Ever think maybe you will end up teaching the course one day?

Thanks for sharing, splitimage.