Addiction
My mind has been racing all day and I was just watching "World News" with Diane Sawyer. This episode sparked my desire to write about addiction. There has been a ton of coverage about Philip Seymour Hoffman's overdose. There was a story on this news program about the heroin epidemic in our country. Apparently there are over 600,000 people addicted to heroin. This is sad and troubling. I have been personally affected by another type of addiction: alcoholism. I always thought that if someone I knew and loved had an addiction that I would be able to tell and that I'd be able to help them. That simply isn't the case. I can tell you for a fact that there are millions of "functioning" addicts in our midst and they are truly struggling internally. It's easy to judge someone with an addiction when you've never experienced it first-hand. I have never been addicted to anything myself and I don't have a great understanding as to how people become addicted or why they continue to use even when they know it is killing them or hurting their relationships. It is extremely difficult to help someone with an addiction if they aren't ready to admit that they have a problem. It is even more painful when they admit that they have a problem, but continue to use. I wish that people could understand that addicts are not horrible people. They have a lot of underlying issues that they need to work out and they generally need someone to encourage them to get help and support them in their journey to get healthy. My heart aches for Hoffman's family and friends. I can't imagine what a struggle they must have been going through. I'm 100% sure that his girlfriend did all that she could to help him stay on track and it is awful that after so many years of sobriety, he slipped back into this horrible habit. I don't know what the right answers are in dealing with addiction, but I do know that we all should have more compassion for addicts and their families. It is an awful disease to deal with whether it is alcohol, heroin, prescription drugs or anything else.
This brings me back to my concern about mental health as well. As a whole, it seems like humans focus so much on physical health: weight loss, exercise, etc. All of those things are certainly important, but many of us do not choose to take care of our selves mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. I believe that this is a key issue with addiction. No one ever wants to admit that they have a weakness or an affliction that is hindering them from being their best self. It is frowned upon to admit that your mind is not up to par. Depression is something that I do deal with on a regular basis. It has never been easy to cope with, even with medication and I can definitely understand how it would be easy to slip into a drug or alcohol habit to help yourself feel better. My life has not gone as planned and I definitely go through periods where I feel like curling up in a ball and staying in bed all day. The things that keep me going are my family, my students, and prayer. I am so thankful for my relationship with God. I feel like even if you don't agree with organized religion or Christianity, it is nice to think that there is something out there greater than yourself. The comfort in not feeling completely alone is priceless (in my humble opinion).
I have been teaching "Quest" this Quarter and we recently started our D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) unit. I pray that my students are really listening and taking all of this information to heart. I certainly was not a perfect teenager and am not a perfect adult, but I pray that the mistakes my students make will be ones that they can learn from and recover from and not ones that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I hope that through my actions as a teacher and a mentor that I am having a positive influence on them and their community.
Anyway, like I said, my mind has been full of thoughts today and I wanted to get some of them out. I hope that if you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, you can find it in your heart to forgive them (or yourself) and understand that it is not your fault and there is light at the end of the tunnel. You don't have to keep that person in your life, but in order to have peace yourself, you have to let go of the hurt and the pain that the addiction has caused...okay, rant over. Thanks for stopping by.
This brings me back to my concern about mental health as well. As a whole, it seems like humans focus so much on physical health: weight loss, exercise, etc. All of those things are certainly important, but many of us do not choose to take care of our selves mentally, spiritually, or emotionally. I believe that this is a key issue with addiction. No one ever wants to admit that they have a weakness or an affliction that is hindering them from being their best self. It is frowned upon to admit that your mind is not up to par. Depression is something that I do deal with on a regular basis. It has never been easy to cope with, even with medication and I can definitely understand how it would be easy to slip into a drug or alcohol habit to help yourself feel better. My life has not gone as planned and I definitely go through periods where I feel like curling up in a ball and staying in bed all day. The things that keep me going are my family, my students, and prayer. I am so thankful for my relationship with God. I feel like even if you don't agree with organized religion or Christianity, it is nice to think that there is something out there greater than yourself. The comfort in not feeling completely alone is priceless (in my humble opinion).
I have been teaching "Quest" this Quarter and we recently started our D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) unit. I pray that my students are really listening and taking all of this information to heart. I certainly was not a perfect teenager and am not a perfect adult, but I pray that the mistakes my students make will be ones that they can learn from and recover from and not ones that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I hope that through my actions as a teacher and a mentor that I am having a positive influence on them and their community.
Anyway, like I said, my mind has been full of thoughts today and I wanted to get some of them out. I hope that if you or someone you know is suffering from addiction, you can find it in your heart to forgive them (or yourself) and understand that it is not your fault and there is light at the end of the tunnel. You don't have to keep that person in your life, but in order to have peace yourself, you have to let go of the hurt and the pain that the addiction has caused...okay, rant over. Thanks for stopping by.
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