Continued..
"Mr. James." Olivia spoke up as she noticed he didn't answer her last question.
Spencer looked up at her. He seemed unfocused and uninterested. "Are you okay?" She asked as she read his body language. He seemed tense and nervous. That's usually how most people who walk through that door are so it wasn't a surprise. It was just something about him that was different.
"Oh," Spencer cleared his throat, "Sorry. What was the question?" He asked as he now focused on her.
Olivia chuckled a little. "It's fine. I asked what is the reason you needed to see me today?"
Spencer nodded and moved on the couch a bit to get comfortable. He played with his fingers as he searched for right words.
"I recently got signed to the chargers. I was excited and everything was going great. After a few games of playing the best I ever have, I tore my ACL." He spoke slowly as he looked down at his cast.
"So that would explain the cast." Olivia responded as she pointed to it with the tip of her pen.
Spencer nodded, "Yeah. I was devastated. I was told by my surgeon that I would be out for at least 7-9 months. You don't know hurt until you hear that." Spencer chuckled sadly. "I think that hurt worse than the injury itself."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Olivia consoled as she wrote down a few more notes. "So tell me what brings you into a substance abuse counselors office?" She asked. The pen was not placed underneath her lip as she used her lip to push the button up and down. She found herself distracted.
"Well, after my surgery. I was prescribed Tramadol." He finished.
"Ah, there it is. An opioid," Olivia said as she listened carefully.
Spencer nodded to answer her question. "At first everything was fine. The medication had me feeling not one inch of pain. I was in heaven the whole time."
"Right. That's what they do until..."
"Until I became addicted to them." He finished.
"And how did you know you were addicted?" Olivia asked, intrigued.
"I knew when I couldn't focus without them. Everyday I had to have them. It was like they were my life line. If I didn't take one, I felt the worst pain imaginable. Now, I don't know if it's really pain that I'm feeling..." Spencer trailed off.
Olivia nodded and wrote a few more things down. "Okay, I want to let you know what you are feeling isn't uncommon. Opioids are the main cause of addiction these days. I hate that they're prescribed still but that I have no control over. However, I want to let you know that I'm proud of you for identifying what this really is."
Spencer licked his lips and sat up a bit. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, people come in here confused. Most times, I have a close family member reach out to get their loved one some help. They don't know how to identify the fact that they're addicted."
"Oh, so you're saying that I was aware enough to know?"
"Exactly!" Olivia exclaimed, "I am very proud of you for reaching out to get some help."
