Scrolling through the feed as I do everyday on Facebook, I came across a post that caught my eye. A friend of mine posted a link to a website that featured meth addicts. The website showed pictures of the meth addict prior to addiction and how they have progressed throughout their addiction. We have all seen these pictures in some form; a billboard, television commercial, print ad. What really triggered my thought process was the caption above the link..."This is just crazy. Why would people do this to themselves?" I am sure the majority of people are thinking the same thing. However, it isn't that simple.
Addiction is a complex sometimes impossible disease. It is a BRAIN disease. It is NOT a disease based on willpower. If it was, then Nancy Regan's" Just Say No" Campaign in the 80's would have eradicated drugs and drug addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), "addiction is a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use despite harmful consequences to the individual who is addicted and to those around them."
Addicts may voluntarily take the drug to begin with, but over time the chemicals in the brain start to change and rewire the brain so to speak. Leaving addicts with a full-blown drug addiction. According to NIDA "No single factor can predict whether or not a person will become addicted to drugs. Risk for addiction is influenced by a person's biology, social environment, and age or stage of development."
I remember going to Family Weekend at Rehab with Michael. I learned all about how an addicts brain is different than a non-addicts and those who aren't an addict would NEVER understand those who were. I understand that statement 100 percent. If someone told me that I was going to die if I took another swig of alcohol, I would not touch another drop. Easy for a non-addict to say and do, but not so quite simple for those who are addicts.
That is why society needs to take a different look at drug addiction and use. We need to view the TRUTH about it and stop believing that a drug addict is morally weak and can just stop if they had enough willpower. You wouldn't tell someone with cancer just to get over it, so why tell an addict that. Through science, addiction has been proved to be a brain disease. It can be preventable with the proper treatment and help.
My view has totally changed throughout this whole journey with Michael. I too, thought it was a disease that you could quit at the drop of a hat, but I learned that it is NOT true. I vowed to Michael that I was going to educate the world on this topic. He was embarrassed by his actions. He thought of himself as a failure. He desperately wanted to be free of his addiction. However, he finally succumbed to the disease. He went to treatment. His addiction was bigger and more powerful than he was.
Knowing the TRUTH about addiction and being MORE educated on the topic can help a person who is addicted. Addiction doesn't just effect "bad" people. It effects all "kinds" of people. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, etc... I'm sure everyone at some point in their lifetime will come across someone who is an addict. When that time comes make sure that you don't treat them as a failure. They already have that guilt inside them. Try to be supportive anyway you can and be a positive force in their recovery. They are never "cured." Recover is a lifetime.
I will do another blog post in the upcoming week about why individuals start doing drugs. Until then stay positive.
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