Re: Our Unnoticed Teenage Heroin Problem
Date: October 30, 2008 10:15AM
In my youth, I liked to drink.
I'm not talking about having a beer or two after work, I'm talking about killing the biggest bottle of Everclear I could find on the weekend. I never beat my woman or got busted for DUI or anything like that, but I drank. And drank. And drank. I drank at home, I drank at bars, I drank at work. I drank so much, I had an alcohol withdrawal seizure. I drank so much, I was eventually sent to rehab.
While in rehab, they told me that I had a disease called Alcoholism, and that I needed to admit to myself that I was completely powerless over my disease. I went to AA. I had to admit that I was unable to control my drinking, and that for the rest of my life, I could never touch a drop of alcohol because of my horrible, wretched, cursed disease called addiction. I was an addict. I needed Jesus. Most importantly, I needed to keep going to AA and getting my coins. I could never be cured of my disease, I could only manage it.
Two weeks into the whole thing, I thought, "this is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." I could go to three AA meetings a day, seven days a week, and ultimately, the only thing that's going to prevent me from drinking heavily is my decision to not go to the store, buy a bottle of alcohol, take it back to my place, open it, pour it into a glass, add mixer, drink it, and repeat the last four steps over and over again.
Similarly, you make a choice every step of the way to get some cash, go to a dealer, go wherever, put it on a spoon, take a lighter to it, pull it into a syringe, and inject it into your arm. The only thing that's going to stop you is deciding that you would rather live a healthy, productive life instead of throwing it away.
Yes, there needs to be treatment for addiction. It's good that there are support groups and rehab facilities. But chances are, not taking personal accountability for your actions is what led to your poor choices anyway, and the things in your life only have whatever power you give them. Nobody is ever powerless unless they choose to be. I've had friends piss their lives away on drugs, and they always have something external to blame for it.
All that aside, I'm sorry your friend Alicia killed herself. Seriously.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2008 10:16AM by MrMephisto.