An open letter to a drug addict and their family.

Dear Reader,

I am here to tell you that we care. I am here to tell you that you can make it through this. I am here to tell you that you are loved and you are worth something. I, personally, cannot understand the struggles you have gone through in life or even try and compare mine to yours but what I do know is that without my personal struggles, I would not be the person I am today. Life would be boring and monochromatic if we did not have any high points or low points in our lives. Since coming from a non-addict, I cannot put my feet in your shoes, but I can try and let you put yours in mine- the life of someone sober.

I have grown up with my own hardships, as well as everyone else, and I have grown and learned from them. I have aspirations and goals that I want to fulfill and with that not only comes stress but achievement. The end result that comes along with a struggle is what keeps me going. I question every plan I have for my life and where I am going with what I am doing almost every day. But these things are just a small part of my worries and my worries are just a small part of my life. Every day I wake up to amazing people around me. Being sober is not a dreadful thing, it helps me appreciate the small things and enjoy the moments that are happening at that exact moment. A personal friend of mine is a drug addict and I have watched her become sober for the past two years now and slowly but surely, she is succeeding and she is loving life more than ever before but she still has a long way to go. I have helped her as much as I could and I am still helping her and the biggest thing in your life that is going to help you, is your family and close, sober friends. Your social support system is what will help guide you through this process and help you find yourself through all of this mess. She lost herself for a while but she has spoken out for help and so can you.

To all the families struggling with a drug addict,

I understand the frustration and tension. I understand the financial situations you might be going through. I understand the sadness of seeing someone so close struggling so hard. It is a long and hard process knowing someone uses but not having much say on trying to stop them. Some of them just do not listen to anyone and will do want they want. Some will disappear for hours on end. I never know what is going through any of their heads. Getting sober is something only they can want to do. If they do not want to get sober, they will not get sober. When my friend told her parents she was using, she was signed into a rehab facility where they worked with her to get her sober. But she is stubborn and when she saw the struggles coming up in her future, she gave up. So, since she was over 18, she could just sign herself out and continue on her way. She moved out of her house into one of her friends but later realized her urge to get sober was still there. She researched and found a place where she did not stay in the rehab facility, she lived at home and then showed up during the day. Here, she met plenty of girls and guys her age going through the same process. Finding the right facility for them, I would say, is crucial so they would enjoy going and spending time there.

I always think to myself, what if something had not gone the way it did, would they still be addicted? I want to get the word out about drug addiction and its hardships because it is more common than we all think. It can happen to any of us. Drug addiction needs more awareness and support for the fighters and survivors. People cannot get through something like this by themselves or nothing is going to change for them.