When I was in a group home there wasn’t much expected of me. I didn’t have to remember my meds, they were brought to me and I was watched as I took them. I had to do my own laundry sometimes, I had some light chores for the common area and I read all day. Until I got the out patient job as a janitor.
Sometimes I look back on my group home days and think they did me no good. All that time not being taught how to do anything. But back then, I might not have been able to. Or maybe I would have.
Other times, I am grateful for not being homeless back then and having had that resource to help me get the job and have nurses and caretakers on hand. I guess it’s a love/hate relationship balanced between how afraid I was to leave that safety net versus how lonely and useless I felt when I was there.
Maybe you needed that then, to get strong enough to manage without it. That’s how I try to see my 6 months at hospital. Maybe I needed someone to watch my back all the time until I managed to get back to life stronger than I was before.
That makes sense. I am trying to remember the good it did me and the luck I had at getting one of those far and few spaces.
Last night I had a few glitches and I try not to, but I do get down on myself a bit when I find I can barely keep myself or the apartment together. I know I’m getting a bit down on myself about silly stuff. I’ll snap out of it. I will.
I don’t think I can do a group home or facility long term. A couple weeks in the mental ward is bad enough. I’m not a money oriented guy, but I have things I can’t go without like my cameras, video games or books. I’d be crushed I think going somewhere without them unless I was in a full psychotic episide.
I would hate being in a group home now that I’m getting my life a little more lucid and structured. But I know I needed it when I was there. It was a huge attitude adjustment for me. My parents hated to do it, but I’m one of 5 and they had other kids who were falling apart and needed their help at the time.
I can definitely see it being beneficial. Right after I got out of the military, I hit a snag and ended up homeless for a year. I should have looked into some options during that time.
I also ended up homeless for a while. I also had a drug problem with my SZ by then and I was not med compliant, self medicating and I was a very heavy drinker. I had just gotten kick out of a group home for being an ass really. I was rabid while I was homeless, but I landed back in hospital. After being rabid and homeless I didn’t want to see how much lower I could go.
I had some drinking issues…really more than I’d admit. My memory is hazy, but I’m pretty sure the VA gave me some sort of shots years ago and now I very rarely have a drink and it’s just one if I do.