Where's O-n-W?

[oldr_n_wsr]

Well, I broke down and finally informed all my old buddies (been friends since high school, about 7 of us all together) about my descent into alcoholism and my ongoing recovery. Got more helping hands than I could ever need. Quality friends for life they are. More people to add to my definition of "higher power" (as I understand it).

And I think my sponsor is going to be mad at me. I didn't call him at all this weekend. I am supposed to call him 6-6:30pm but around that time I am just finishing dinner and then I am out the door to attend an AA meeting and I forget. I'll be seeing him tonight at my home group meeting so I'm going to see if another time of day is better to call.

[Gob]

Yeah, thay suggested that. But do you believe the difference from covered to non covered is $150?!?!?!?
It's $30 for the month covered but over $180 for the month not covered. I do have the money to lay out, but that is ridiculous. $150 difference?!?!?!?!!?!?
No wonder people without health insurance go bankrupt. Imagine if this was a prescription needed to keep me alive!?!?!?

Can someone explain this, in simple terms, for a poor foreigner please?

O-n-W you're in our thoughts every step of the way mate, it would seem you are the sort of guy in real life, as you are here, who cannot help but make good friends.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Can someone explain this, in simple terms, for a poor foreigner please?

O-n-W you're in our thoughts every step of the way mate, it would seem you are the sort of guy in real life, as you are here, who cannot help but make good friends.

It means, if you don't have health insurance, be it company provided, self paid or gov paid you are fucked if you need drugs and/or doctors/hospitals to keep you alive. Right now I am paying almost $1600 a month for my medical and dental plan and that is my gift from the state (NY) which passed a law making corporations allow ex employees to stay in their former employers health plans for 18 months after leaving that company. But, we have to pay full price for that plan. When I was employed I only paid about $300 a month, my employer picked up the rest. If I had to find insurance on my own, the price would probably be double what I am paying now.

And yes, I have great friends as I have always tried to be a great friend right back to those I call friends. An old friend I haven't seen in about 8 years is flying up from Florida tomorrow and we're going out to dinner (with a couple of other friends). I spent some time with him when he was in the throws of addiction (cocain) and helped him through it. Also helped him through his divorce. It will be good to see him as I met him when we were about 12yo. Went to high school together, were in each others wedding parties. Kinda lost touch when he moved to Florida but when his life went in the shitter, we reconnected. Been a few years since then but now that mines in the shitter, he is there. That's what friends are for.

Another friend is checking on me daily as I was there for him when his business fell apart. (he owned a gym that the Knicks were using/renting for off season practice and his business partner ended up snorting it away along with any and all profits). The Knicks had an "out clause" for any kind of illegal goings on. (I was able to "persuade" his 'former' business partner to give up whatever bank accounts and money he had towards the debt incurred by their business no threats involved, just sound legal advice ) Anyway, my friend stayed with us while he got a back on his feet and could finally afford a place to rent. Then, when he got a job and could afford it, I found a really good house for him (and his future wife) to rent, near a train station (he then found work in Manhattan) and not so expensive.

I have found in life, what goes around, comes around. GIVE (not lend) help to those in need, and when you need help, it just shows up. It certainly has for me, even over the thousands of miles of the internet with people I have never met in RL, the outreach has been great and I thank everyone. You are also part of my "higher power" that AA keeps talking abour.
And I will always be here to return those favors.

[Long Run]

Can someone explain this, in simple terms, for a poor foreigner please?

And what that means in this specific example is this: if he has insurance, the insurance company has negotiated a lower rate with the pharmacy; so O-n-W pays $30 out of pocket and the insurance company picks up the rest of the bill, say another $100. If he doesn't have insurance, the pharmacy charges him their "regular" rate of $180. To O-n-W this means a difference of paying $30 versus paying $180 for the medicine. Complicating this is that O-n-W has insurance but his policy is shifting from employer paid to individual paid, and the insurance company hasn't caught up yet, so he has to pay out of pocket at the regular rate (this should get sorted out in a few weeks).

So, he has insurance and the premiums are plenty of expensive, which just illustrates that in this instance, the true benefit of the insurance coverage is the discount negotiated for the medicine (since O-n-W pays indirectly for the medicine through his insurance policy; it is only when you have a major claim that you are tapping into real insurance). Yes, I know, no one would design a system like this from scratch. Not all evolutionary processes produce pretty results.

[oldr_n_wsr]

What Long Run said.

[Gob]

Dear God...

Hen just had a hysterectomy, 2 day stay in hospital, room to herself, after care etc, total cost $0.

Even though we have private cover, the doctor offered to get all organised via medicare, so we didn't have any costs. (Seeing as Hen has paid, via taxes, into medicare for 28 years, we thought it fair.)

[oldr_n_wsr]

Finally got my health care reinstated via COBRA which means I got to pay the full cost of the health plan of my previous employer. But at least I can now go and get my Chntix for $30 versus $180 and my daughter can continue with her birth control pills without disruption and I can go on monday to my urologist and find out if I need a biopsy on my prostate or was the +2 reading versus a year ago reading just an aberation.

Got an interview on Friday in the city with CBS and should be setting up another interview with an electronics medical design company not far from where I live.

And I am meeting my buddy from Florida tomorrow around 2pm to do some male bonding and reinforcing our friendship. I'm already tearing up over meeting him.
Later

[Long Run]

Glad the insurance headache is over, now just the PITA premium to deal with. Good luck on the interview, and glad to hear you have a good friend visiting.

[BoSoxGal]

Great to get the update, oldr.

I'll be thinking of you and wishing you well on the job prospects.

I hope you have a great visit with your friend.

Hugs,
bsg

[Gob]

Fingers crossed for you O-n-W.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Confirmed the bio-med interview for monday. I do have an outpatient therapy thingy at 1pm but the interview is tentatively set for 3pm so it should be good. I am trying to schedule it for hte morning so we'll see.

I should say that the buddy I am meeting had his own problems with addiction. He was in a pretty bad car accident and was addicted to pain killers for a few years and kicked that. Also he was my best friend in high school. We were going to drive cross country in 1979 but we both ended falling in love (not with each other ) and got married. His ended and I was there for him for that. Unfortunately I was not there for him when he went through his pain killer problem (unlike his divorce and cocain problem, which I was there for support) as I didn't evn know about it for a few years after.

Been getting calls and emails from all my old friends wanting to help. So I am using their energy to keep me on the right path.
Went to my usual Wednesday AA meeting and am really starting to enjoy this one. Only 5 -10 people there and people really open up and give advice, share what works for them, and such. Some of the other meetings just become a "wooo-is-me" type of affair rather than a "help" affair. This Wednesday is people giving you what worked for them, what they do to combat what we like to call the "heeebeegeebees" that every addicted person goes through pretty much daily. Not so much how good/bad you felt today, yesterday, mor of a guide that you can use (or not use) in your road to recovery.
Anyway
Thanks for listening.
your proper response would be, "thanks for sharing"

[Gob]

If we say "thanks for sharing," do we have to chip in for the tea and biscuits?

[oldr_n_wsr]

If we say "thanks for sharing," do we have to chip in for the tea and biscuits?

It's coffee and cookies and yes you have to donate when they pass around the basket.

Had a setback yesterday. One minute I'm sitting there drinking coffee and reading the newspaper and 15 minutes later (after a trip to the liquor store) I'm sitting their drinking vodka and reading the newspaper.
When I get the urge to drink I'm supposed to call my sponsor or another member or the AA hotline, only AA and AA members never entered my thought process. I just got the alchol and only after I drank the half pint did I think of AA.

I ended up going to the outpatient screeing and they gave me a breathalyzer and I read a 0.07 (legally drunk is 0.08). They wouldn't ake any info from me so they rescheduled for next monday. I called and rescheduled the interview for thursday.

Thnking back I was getting very anxious right before getting the bottle. I talked to my sponsor afterward and he said that is MY "tipping" signal and that is when I should call him or others. Still went to teh AA meeting last night and went to another at 10am this morning. Didn't sleep well last night beating myself up about drinking. Had 4 weeks sober on sunday, now I get to start all over.

Talked to my buddy in Fla today and he said shit happens and that the important thing is to learn from it, know what to do next time, and more importantly when to do it and to get right back on the wagon and go to meetings.

[Gob]

Talked to my buddy in Fla today and he said shit happens and that the important thing is to learn from it, know what to do next time, and more importantly when to do it and to get right back on the wagon and go to meetings.

No one expects you to be perfect, no one achieves without setbacks along the way, you cannot break long held habits over night.

Do your best, stick with the plan, use your supports when you need to.

All that's easy for me to say of course....

[loCAtek]

ROTFL!

[Timster]

Dude! Dang it! What you need is just another platitude! AA just doesn't have enough of them...

-- You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails. --


Hang tough my friend.

Ps: If you ever need someone impartial to vent to; feel free to PM me. ok? I'm a busy guy but I promise to make the time to respond with what ever ill advice I may have; or just lend an ear. And remember bad advice is free. Good advice may cost a bit more; but you always get what you pay for in the long run. No pain no gain.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Thanks Timster I may take you up on that some day.
And don't be doind 190mph on your ninja, keep it down to 185mph will ya!

I can't even imagine going that fast, just as well my bike won't do that speed anyway

[Miles]

Oldr, a slip is not a fail it's just a reminder that alcoholism hasn't forgotten you. Talk to your AA group and you will find that they have found themselves in the same situation at one time or another. It is alright to keep track of your sobriety but don't become obsessed with the numbers. One day at a time is the best count, after all today is the first day of the rest of your life. You already know one of the most important lessons in life. That is in order to have a friend you must be a friend.

[oldr_n_wsr]

One day at a time is the best count

Wise words indeed. I'm sober today, plan on staying that way for the rest of today.
Thank you

[AndyH]

Hang tough oldr... Helping a friend who is going through this now. Job loss, three inpatient stays, and now on SSDI due to mounting health problems. He is now only getting drunk on the days he is not attending IOP therapy. Medicare cut his treatment from 5 to 3 days a week.

One note that might be helpful. COBRA is a federal law, and it was modified under ARRA to provide temporary subsidy to those who have lost their jobs. Depending on your income you may have to repay some of this in tge future when you are working again. Google is your friend on this, and there are many support groups offering help. Your employer is unlikely to tell you about this, as they could be liable for some of the cost

Act now, the Republican House is currently seeking to repeal this.