Geographicals?

[captaincaveman]

Anyone familiar with NA/AA knows their position on simply moving location. "You always take you with you" blah blah. I've tried it in the past and it has failed but now I've had a new somewhat scary offer. I've been offered to be sent to Iran for 11 months to help forge business relationships. My friends say "Well you won't be able to get into any trouble there". It's a bit extreme but could be what I'm looking for. The money is unreal, tax-free as well. However someone pointed out that Iran has a massive smack problem and although not my particular DOC I've dabbled in it now and again. More seriously, trouble seems to be brewing there at the moment and I don't fancy giong on a quest for hard drugs and ending up on the news!
So my question is has moving away from all those bad influences helped anyone (most would consider me the worst influence!) or do you think this may be a tad extreme. I have travelled in the middle east before and find the people cool enough, but 11 months?
Any thoughts appreciated

 

[Doomed2pain]

You need to first see if you can get any support whilst in a foreign country. You need a dr with mental health and abuse expertise or you could wind up in trouble, drugs are rife over in the middle east.

Weigh up all your options. A move and change of scenery will help but with lotsof expendable income, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen without a safety net.

 

[Legerity]

I think there environmental factors that can contribute to drug use; that it's not all in the head. I know for me aside from certain psychological factors there are certainly things about my life and surroundings that contribute to me feeling less well than I otherwise would. I feel it may differ from person to person what it is exactly that drives them.

 

[Ixchellian]

Political & theological objections aside; sometimes, you have to let self-preservation win out.
Or is hard currency & the promise of easy living later worth the risks.... especially knowing that your demon waits just outside the airport?

That is a question none of us know the entirety of, but all have struggled with..... and nobody has yet come up with an answer agreeable to everyone else.

To quote a great man:
"Should I stay or should I go now; if I stay there will be trouble, if I go there will be double."

8)

 

[herbavore]

The opportunity sounds exciting and literally changing your world (geographically) can certainly change it internally. What comes to mind for me is that often the worst triggers for people are boredom and loneliness. You probably won't be bored during the days with a new job and all the new sights and culture to soak up but what about at the end of the workday when you are alone? Are you a fairly outgoing person or if not, do you do well with spending time alone? Do you have friends within the work situation that you are going into? I guess I am just suggesting that you think ahead to how you will handle the loneliness. I love to travel by myself but loneliness is always a part of it. All in all it sounds like a very intriguing opportunity for you. I hope you will let us know what you decide!

 

[OverDone]

I'm in NA and yeah, no particular 'person, place or thing' is going to fix us but a fresh slate has helped me tremendously by moving from Philly to Colorado.

The atmosphere in the area that I got clean at wasn't healthy for me. Even the 'experienced members' at the meetings I went to were dragging me down and I firmly believe that wouldn't have stayed clean if I stayed in that area (and attended the meetings found there) for much longer.

I did have to do some things once I got to Colorado, though. I immediately made meetings regularly (I made a meeting a day for 82 days) in order to get 'plugged in'. I found that the recovery here was more peaceful and the people are more friendly. I knew that if I didn't start doing positive things as soon as I got here that I would become complacent. Complacency, boredom and lack of positive action tend to fuck me in time.

It wasn't easy and yeah, I'm pretty lonely but that's on me. I found some sort of peace out here and I enjoy it. I don't think I would have lasted much longer if I stayed back east.

Everyone's different but keep in mind that if you head out there you will be the only one (at first) that is looking out for you. That can be scary being in a strange environment without any support but if you take the chance and pick your associations carefully and avoid isolation, it can be extremely beneficial

 

[Ixchellian]

Ever had "culture shock"?

I did pretty well, and having deep roots in Germany helped..... but going from the States to Europe still made quite an impact. Hell, Mexico was lot like the sandbox too, in some ways. Even with that level of familiarity, the Middle East is quite a different experience.

Even with the structure & regulations of the military keeping me straight, tempting substances & situations were still very much in abundance.
Out there, you don't find the drugs.... the drugs find you.
Especially when bunches of us infidels get together with a bottle of bootleg hooch, redbull, & Jim Morrison or Tiesto MP3s.

Keep in mind also that while opiates are everywhere in Persia, they'll gladly make an example of a junky westerner. Plus I heard it's rather hard to keep things on the DL over there. 8)

But if you do go..... learn some of the language beforehand. A tan & facial hair helps too.

 

[Missykins]

Yes, Iran does have a serious heroin issue. You can also expect life imprisonment with no help from the United States if you are caught.

I'm in NA/AA, and with every move I ever made, I took my addiction with me. It usually took me about four days to learn how to get drugs in the new
place. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't seize new opportunities. Rather, you should simply be prepared to create the same support network for
yourself in your new community as you had in your previous one. That's what you have to ask yourself about moving to Iran: can you expect to have
the same sort of support for your sobriety there as you would where you currently are? Don't let your sobriety take second place because without it,
you have nothing.

 

[captaincaveman]

should I stay or should I go

Thanks for the replies guys. It's certainly a lot to think about. I asked one of my buddie s who works for Save the Children in the Gaza Strip. He's definitely not in it for the money and his organisation has lost three people this year! My role would be speaking to leading business people and trying to open up markets there so should be safe enough. I good point was made about how to handle solitude. Sometimes I crave it but other times I need human contact desparately. I don't think I could walk into a bar in IRan and simply get talking to someone by buying them a pint (works over here). I also wouldn't want to betray my integrity just to win chums, the political situaltion is complex but I could see myself joining the US/Israeli pigs must die rhetoric if I thought I'd be making chums (and conveniently forgetting their abhorent treatment of women. The company also wants someone to go to Mexico and at least I'd now where I stand there (having been a few times). Finally, the money is making me suspicous, I think I'm good at what I do but are the vast sums really paying for expertise or something more sinister. I'm speaking to the opertational manager (sounds a bit military!) tomorrow and will raise my concerns with him. Funnily enough, he's American and the US don't have an embassy in Iran nor do the UK at the moment. My paranoid mind is dreaming John Rambo at me but that wouldn't do them much good. Unless the wanted a well argued crtique of the final film.
Cheers