Look Behind the Addiction

I came across a situation this weekend where someone was very intoxicated. I’m sure we have all been there a few times. But this person needed help and no one seemed concerned. All I heard was “they need help, nothing you can do to help them, we’ve tried” or “it’s their own fault” or “they brought this on themselves”. While parts of that are true, I didn’t understand why, still, we were casting stones? No, we cannot change their habits or addictions for them. But it’s no chip off our shoulder to help. This is someone masking their pain, their hurt, their damage and it’s the only way they know how. And how are they ever able to recover if they don’t feel loved? How will they ever feel valued enough if people toss them out with the trash?

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Love in your community is such a powerful thing, and if NO ONE ever feels loved or supported, they don’t have a ground to stand on to walk away. They will just keep treading water and eventually sink, losing their life ultimately because they ran out of energy. Do people honestly think they choose this lifestyle? They were born into this world the same way we all were and due to life circumstances or choices, life has landed them here. People still choose to swim in a rip current, knowing that it’s beyond dangerous and they will drown. But we still do everything we can, sometimes even risk our own lives to swim out and help them. They knew about the risks and the danger and they still chose to, yet we still choose to help them and risk our own life.

Addiction I feel is very similar. You know the chance you are taking when you take that one hit and all the danger that looms around the corner. But after testing your luck, the next thing you know, you’ve been swept over, the ground is no longer beneath you and your dragged out to sea, fighting every day to get back to land, to stability. How terrifying that must be. It’s not as simple as mind over matter. Addiction is a disease, and like all diseases, it needs a holistic care plan, involving possible medication and medical treatment, therapy, lifestyle changes such as friend groups and weekend plans. Sometimes it involves changes to family, as not everyone is blessed to have a loving and supporting family.

​And lastly it involves COMMUNITY. I ask everyone the next time they see someone struggling, please do not cast stones or judgment. You do not have to bend over backwards and hurt yourself in the process of helping. But make sure they get home safe, bring them some water, call someone to help, PRAY FOR THEM, whatever it may be. Just don’t be blind to what it is you're seeing, a struggling human who is someone’s brother, sister, spouse, aunt, uncle or parent. Because internally they are wasting away and by no good faith can we as a community watch them and willingly let them perish.

Author: Christine Murray
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Photo credit: Pexels