First of all, it wasn’t my idea. Someone at a nameless Santa Fe-based broadcasting company approached me with the idea of a radio show that I would host and discuss matters pertaining to substance abuse. I gave it some thought and figured that, yes, that would be a good idea. So, I developed a pitch and presented it the decision-makers at Nameless Broadcasting and they, too, thought it was a great idea. We came up with a time slot and I was ready to host a weekly one-hour program in which I would discuss substance abuse and its treatment.

To say that I was excited to do this would be a vast understatement. A public forum to discuss substance abuse disorders (SUDs) really could go a long way towards reducing the shame and fear that are so much a part of the insidious nature of these SUDs. As long as SUDs remain in the shadows, they will continue to feed off of shame and remain a strong, destructive force. No one really disagrees with me; whenever I’ve presented the idea of shame and fear being a part of SUDs, people nod in agreement. The deciders at Nameless Broadcasting agreed as well. I was thrilled and ready to go and so were they. So, what happened?

I had to pay for it. It would’ve been expensive for me and with a mandatory one-year commitment, the whole deal was simply untenable. Not only did I have to pay for it, but I couldn’t even seek sponsors, as that’s against the station’s policy for advertisers. Worse still, I would never have been compensated or reimbursed. I’ve never been much of a business man, but it felt like about as one-sided a deal as there could be. Now, nameless broadcasting would provide the broadcasting and producing, but if I was paying for it, what really was their cost?

The problem for me is that once I get an idea, I have a hard time letting it go. I really want to do a radio show through which SUDs can be discussed. The show would be an asset to the community; but I can’t simply can’t afford a large weekly payment to do it. My hope is that I can do a show, even seek sponsors for it. The show that I envision would benefit everyone involved. I just don’t think one party should be the main beneficiary.