It rarely ever happens just because…
Addicts do talk amongst each other. They share stories of their childhood growing up, their relationships with their immediate family, secondary family, spouses, experiences at school. O yes, even that neighbor, that cousin, that uncle, that mother’s boyfriend or husband.
9 times out of 10 these stories aren’t painted pictures of joy and happiness. Most are filled with pain and suffering, uncertainties and a whole lot of Why’s?
Addiction is a whirlwind of drastic measures and covers ups.
Addicts are filled with internal turmoil that never ceases to end without some mind altering chemical to take them away from their suffering. Their feelings never seem to measure up to the norm.
It doesn’t matter how many substance abuse programs are out there, how much their family tells them they love them, how much the judge sees them face to face. Substance abuse will never end for the addict until the addict gets to the core of their problem, and it has about 10% to do with actual using.
When the addict is in their addiction their blinded by a lie, one more hit or fix will make it all better. It’s not what external voices say… the addict thinks somehow they will live long enough to get that next high. They continually believe drugs or alcohol will heal their weary souls, fill the empty hole inside. Not the words of a loved one, coworker, judge, friend, or even their child(ren).
Those who are closest to and affected by the addict, please stop trying to figure out where you may have gone wrong, especially if you know personally you raised them right, didn’t use drugs in front of them and the addict didn’t see any type of abuse in the home.
If any of the above did happen, these are the things that the addict saw and experienced and they have not learned a healthy way of processing what happen or how to let it go.
Nevertheless, it’s not directly the fault of anyone else that a grown person wants to continue to get high without the regard for human decency, self-respect, or fear that they may die in their madness.
The addict normally wants help. They even know that it’s help for them, but, once that monkey gets on their back, it has the addict in a real life death grip – shackled by tenebrosity. It will take a real life miracle to bring them back, and miracles happen every day.
Please look out for Part 2 of “The Mind of an Addict”
Good article Shira! I think we who love the addict pray warrior prayers—every morning, noon, evening and night, on knees, crying, pleading. It ain't easy. But hope comes when God turns things around, which He can do.