USE EDUCATION, UNDERSTANDING TO FIGHT ADDICTION

Everyday Wisdom

The seminar leader spoke to the professionals seated around the table,
about half of whom were recovering from addiction to alcohol or other
things. He asked each person to tell the group when they'd had their
last drink. Those for whom alcohol had no power had trouble
remembering exactly when that was.

"Well, seems like we had a glass of wine at dinner last month. When
was that, exactly?" Those recovering from the torture of addiction
never hesitated: "I had three martinis at the Fontainbleu Hotel on
Jan. 7, 1994, and I was with. ..." And so it went. That striking
difference said much about the power of alcohol in the life of an addict.

Addiction is like kudzu of the soul. It grows slowly, steadily
throughout a person's biology and into their world before they ever
see it coming, gradually taking over their body, their thoughts, their
choices and behavior, relationships and lives. Watching that happen is
frustrating, frightening and painful to those who love them.

Why do they continue when what's happening is so obvious? Why would
anyone repeatedly engage in behaviors that hurt their health, their
reputation, their job or their family?

Unfortunately, logic has nothing to do with it. Addiction is illness,
and those suffering are caught in a web of pain, distortion and shame
that makes it incredibly hard to find their way back to health. They
truly can not help the effect a drug, or a simple glass of wine, has
on their body or mind. They CAN help what they do about it. Entering
treatment, working a 12-step program and seeking daily help from
others in recovery are all ways to work towards serenity, something
most addicts have never known.

Have you ever found yourself reaching for extra chocolate on a bad
day? Going on a shopping spree after a fight with a friend? It's human
to seek solace outside ourselves, and sometimes that's OK. It's OK,
too, to have a beer with the barbecue, unless you happen to be an
adult with a biological predisposition towards chemical dependency.

What often begins as harmless fun, or a way to cope with a rough day,
becomes a problem for those with addictive natures. Certain behaviors
provide a sort of anesthesia for pain, and become self reinforcing.
When they feel bad, they get high, for example. When they get high,
they feel bad. Since they feel bad, they get high, and so on. Soon,
they're trapped and, because addiction is a progressive illness,
things begin to get worse.

Addiction occurs with almost any substance or activity that provides
an intense mood altering experience. Though we typically think of
alcohol or drugs, it's also possible to be addicted to shopping,
gambling, food, sex, danger, achievement, or prescription medicine.
And addiction is the great equalizer, because it happens to persons
without regard to gender, race, wealth, faith, intelligence, education
or status.

I urge families fighting this disease not to be ashamed. No one asks
for this. Most dependent persons I know started around 12 or 13 years
old, and no one ever took that first drink planning to become an
alcoholic. Some drink too much for a while, and then stop. Others
develop an illness and can not do that. There's no shame in that.
There is, however, a responsibility to get help.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call for help. There is
terrific information at the library and online. There are treatment
centers, mental health professionals and free twelve step meetings all
around you. Though there's no cure, it is very, very possible to live
a life clean and sober. The help is out there, waiting.