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September 16, 2003
The Trouble With Quixtar: 2
By QBlog in
Because blogs are inherently conversational and generally informal I thought it might be fun for me to take a few days to work out some of my issues with Quixtar right here, in this public space. Some posts may not make a lot of sense on their own but I hope that as a collection these posts will all tie together to accurately describe what I call "The Trouble With Quixtar."
To keep things organized I'm titling each related entry The Trouble With Quixtar and then numbering them sequentially. Also, please understand that this is a personal effort for me to fully comprehend why I am unable to embrace Quixtar, or any MLM business. This is my personal struggle with Quixtar. > 1 <
I was employed as a counselor at a long term Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation facility during the early 1990s. At the treatment center we worked full-time to help what were mostly underage drug addicts, a few court ordered adults and everyone in between. During my two and a half years on staff I learned, and later mastered, the very necessary techniques used to guide those broken, lost and socially rejected youths to a better life. A few of those methods were:
1. We isolated the client (all youths in the center were called clients). The client had no contact with anyone outside the center except for parents and approved siblings.
2. We restricted the client's vocabulary. Each new client was given a multi-page list of rules detailing the forbidden words.
3. The client was accompanied by a veteran client or staff member at all times, even when using the restroom.
4. Singing. Lots and lots of singing. Clients sang several hours each day. It was here that I learned the true power of song.
5. More singing.
6. Did I mention singing?
7. Inspirational music was played daily.
8. Clients were instructed to participate in various sessions where they shared feelings and thoughts about past experiences.
9. Privileges were earned. As clients made improvements, responsibilities were doled out and privileges returned.
I've left out a lot. A whole lot. But that was the general idea. Keep in mind that this was a long term treatment facility. Kids were in for 10-20 months, not 2 or 3 like at some facilities. Because treatment took so long, the staff sometimes developed friendships with clients that lasted beyond "graduation" day. It was my observation of those friendships that caused me to second guess what I was doing at the center, and ultimately leave.
I observed terribly addicted kids make startling changes and seemingly become assets to society instead of liabilities. Those youths had genuinely changed and prior to their "graduation" had every intention of re-entering society drug-free. It's hard to fake change for 12 months (though I saw that done several times).
Yet, as you can probably guess, that's not quite what happened. A few kids did indeed become drug-free pastors, doctors, lawyers and more. However, most kids re-entered society without really understanding how to function outside of treatment. Much like institutionalized prisoners, those youths didn't know how to cope outside the confines of their artificially safe and comfortable former homes. They were no longer surrounded by a group of supportive, honest and caring friends. They'd been taught how to stay off drugs and deal with their problems but all they'd learned had been within the treatment center environment, and not really on the streets they ultimately ended up walking.
There were other reasons why I left but primarily I disagreed with the underlying philosophy of long term treatment. I do see the value in what I did, and still have some friendships from that experience, yet I can't help but think that there must be a better way.
Comments
bdsm - http://bdsm911.blogspot.com/
Forgive me, but I don't quite see what this post has to do with Quixtar, unless you are comparing the "treatment" methods to the BSM environment (for which there are remarkable similarities).
Posted by: Stephen | February 6, 2004 4:23 PM