I’ve been meaning to write this for a while I just haven’t gotten around to it. I successfully completed my contract 2 months ago after almost 4 years of this shit. They never punished me for the bullshit OWI that got dropped anyways, but only because I had all the evidence to back up my story. I just wanted to let everyone know I made it and my life is finally back to normal.
My last advice is this, you’ll never win so don’t kill yourself fighting them. If you get kicked out then you’re immediately not creditable anymore to anyone and everyone will just chalk you up to being a drug addict. No one will ever believe you or take your side. Your only hope is to play the game and try to find ways to make your life bearable.
The system is broken. Somewhere in the last decade or so people stopped caring about each other and started caring for only themselves. Everyone just wants to protect their own ass. No one in HPRP wants to help you. They will use everything against you as ways to trap you in longer and extort more money out of you (they’ll even spy on you). Luckily Michigan is pretty lenient and will give you multiple second chances where other states won’t. They basically will just extend your contract out to “two years of documented sobriety” no matter what. I got 6 months added for Kratom which is completely legal and I legitimately didn’t know I couldn’t do, and my friend got only 3 added months for MDMA because she was 3 months short of 2 years left. How fucked up is that?!?! You’re just another number to them, nothing is individualized, and they really don’t care.
Everyone assumed I was going to go crazy after my contract was up, but my life isn’t much different aside from not having the added stress and $$ of HPRP. I can have a few beers on the weekends now but I still haven’t even been drunk nor do I want to. I never needed HPRP to stay sober and it never did me even the smallest bit of good, it only tarnished my professional reputation for a bit, made my life a living hell, and made me lose my faith in humanity.
Don’t be ashamed of getting caught in the system. It doesn’t mean you’re broken or not good at your job. Tell as many people as possible to warn them. And is it worth it? No. Probably not. Healthcare is a thankless job that’ll take everything you have if you let it. You have to give 100% all day every day into helping everyone but yourself. Every day I consider switching careers. I just need to make enough money to retire early, I’m thinking age 40.
Silent No More 