Once upon a time there was a little boy. He had friends and used to ride his bike around the neighborhood. He had a job, went to college, only to go on to get married and receive a better job. This boy was given every tool that he needed to be happy and successful in life, but unfortunately he wasn’t. Something in him wanted to get a drink after work, maybe more than one, or maybe too many. In a short period of time, this soon caused a lot of problems. He was losing jobs, the trust of those close to him and sight of what was truly important. This boy grew up to be a man with an addiction. In this article I would like to clear up a few things about addictions people often do not believe and need to understand.
Regardless of your opinion, whether it is in regards to drugs or alcohol, addiction is a disease. Addicts are not in it for the attention they get, but because they genuinely lack the ability to stop. Here’s your science lesson of the day—when a person’s body is exposed to certain chemicals for a period of time, it becomes dependent on them. This is why addicts can’t just cut cold turkey. If you still don’t think that should stop them from stopping, I have a challenge for you. I am going to ask you to stop drinking coffee for an entire week. If you drink coffee on a daily basis, even if it is only one cup, I guarantee that you would feel a difference. You might feel tired, lose focus, or even get headaches. People trying to quit smoking or changing their diets in small ways might go through similar symptoms. These are called withdrawals, which addicts who are trying to kick the habit frequently need to deal with, except on a larger scale.
Addicts can sometimes last a few days without a substance, but then their bodies will let them know that it’s time for more by fighting them on everything they do. This is when addicts think that maybe just to make it go away, it’s okay this one last time. It’s not because they’re a bad person, because not all addicts are drug dealers; it’s because their body craves it more than anything in the world. When an addict caves to this temptation, many people blame them. They assume they’re a young person who’s irresponsible or someone who grew up in a bad situation. What people forget is addicts aren’t always able to be sorted into these groups. Addicts are fathers, friends, children, cousins, etc. Addicts are people. As someone who has been hurt watching people close to them deal with an addiction, I think it’s important to address something to people who are unable to understand that addiction is an illness.
The addict is not weak; they are fighting a battle you won’t understand. Even admitting that they need help is a sign that they are stronger than a lot of people will ever have to be. Addiction is an epidemic, not a fad that young people do to fit in. When society chooses to address addiction as a crime and label the addicts as criminals, this does nothing but expand the issue. Addicts are simply people who need a support system that is able to help them through it, not people who deserve to spend life unemployed or in prison. They don’t deserve to be hated, although they make life difficult sometimes, because when it comes down to it, they are as much of a person as you are. They make mistakes, just like you do, even if they aren’t the same ones. They are learning and getting stronger, and it is our job as neighbors and friends to help them, not to hate them. When it comes down to it, society should not be fighting a group of addicts, but a disease.. It takes the lives of many who go too soon and everyone should be doing what they can to end it.
