Why can't he add?

He works 4 to 6 hours a day at the sandwich shop. He complains about how tired he is, about how much work that is. In just over a week he starts summer school. He will be in class from 8:00-3:30 in the afternoon. That's 7 1/2 hours.

I asked him what he was going to do about work for those five weeks.

"I'll just switch to the evening shift."

Okay...so now you work from 11:00am-4:00 and complain that it is exhausting. Your future plan is to go to school from 8:00-3:300 and then work from 4:00 until 9:00. Sure...what's 11 hours a day? And then there is the on-line class, group, counseling, and (theoretically) two 12-step meetings a week. No problem.

Is it an addict thing, or a foster kid thing, or an 18-year-old thing? How is it that they can be exhausted and complain about doing X and yet at the same time confidently state that they can do twice as much? Where is that part of his brain that is suppose to be able to think about things rationally?

Sigh. By the way, I'm not getting on the rollercoaster. Al-Anon work is still sticking. I'm shaking my head and hoping he changes his mind, but I am staying calm. Maybe he will ask to work less. Maybe he will cut work and get fired. Maybe he will find the energy and succeed. Maybe he will implode and start using again.

Won't it be interesting to find out?

At least his boyfriend does not move back into the area until after summer school is over.