addiction
The realities of addition; the truth about living under, above and beyond the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Understanding Addiction and the Effects It Has on Families
For the average individual, when the consequences are bad enough they can stop using drugs and drinking. They don’t even need to put up a fight. I once knew a person who, when he finally lost his job and no longer had money to pay rent, stopped using. Just like that, he made the decision to stop. He was able to stop and not have the urge to drink or get high all on his own.
By Cassidy Webb7 years ago in Psyche
Living with an Addict
I'd like to start by just saying that addiction doesn't have a face. Anyone can fall victim to the disease. Yes, I said that it's a disease, and that's because it is. Addiction should be treated like a disease and should also be treated with respect. Addiction ruins not only the life of an addict, but also the lives of people around them as well. Too many precious lives have been taken by this horrible disease, and it needs to change. As someone that grew up with a parent struggling with addiction, it shaped how I look at the world around me. I'm going to touch on a very emotional subject, but I want to shed light on the topic too.
By Rena Luxxe7 years ago in Psyche
How Do You Help Someone with an Addiction?
There are many debates raging on right now about how to help struggling addicts or people with possible addictions. From safe injection sites that reduce the risk of death from overdose, to raising the legal drinking limit, to using fear campaigns to scare you straight. Yet at the same time the government has made addictive substances, like alcohol, more readily available by allowing sales in grocery stores, offering "buck a beer" deals, and legalizing marijuana (not that I'm against that last one) all the while cutting funding to fight the onslaught of addiction. What we really need are more well informed media campaigns, more front line staff, and most importantly, people who understand how to help an addict in their own way. So what should and shouldn't you be doing to help someone struggling with addiction?
By Jeffrey Joseph7 years ago in Psyche
Addiction
Addiction tears you apart. You can almost give it human personality traits. It's so complex and unique to each addict. Like people, the basics are pretty much the same. Humans all have a body of some sort. Most have hair, skin, eyes, etc., but not everyone has all of these things, and even if they do, they can be dramatically different. Addiction is similar because everyone has their "story," or reason why/how their addiction started. Some are as basic as they just wanted to fit in with a certain crowd; others are much darker and tragic, but there is always a reason. Addressing that underlying cause must be done to ever gain control of it
By Candida Reece7 years ago in Psyche
Heroin
This is a song I wrote about my struggle with addiction. I wrote this song before a relapse I had years ago during a horrible spout of depression. It took a lot for me to be able to openly acknowledge how I was feeling at this time without letting it consume me. So, I ended up turning those feelings into a song to better help me cope. It helped me to get those feelings out, and it was almost like exposing them set me free somehow. It's a very hard song to share, to expose myself, but as a recovering addict, I know it will be understood by a lot of people. Maybe might even help someone choose the road to recovery, instead of continuing on the path of self destruction.
By Jaxx Phoenix7 years ago in Psyche
"I Raised a Junkie"
This is by far the hardest story I have written. As I transfer the words from my notebook to print, I relive in my mind every expression on her face with every word spoken. Reliving the pain, sleepless nights, arguments, and memories whilst she's explaining her story to me. Her words echoing around the empty room where we sat. Two chairs, a glass of water, and a small table surrounded by empty white walls and a high ceiling. There I sat with a notepad, as this woman is pouring her heart out and my heartbreaking further every time she opens her mouth.
By Lee Bowman7 years ago in Psyche
Double Down: Hands on the Wheel
My clammy hands were on the wheel, forehead plastered to the top. Eyes closed, there was so much pressure, so much guilt. I let an inhuman guttural yell erupt from my mouth that might as well have come from the depths of hell. My ears were left ringing.
By Steven Buriek7 years ago in Psyche
I’m Sorry
She stood over me, watching my eyes dance and look all over the room except at her. Her arms crossed and her body still. Towering over me, she stood motionless. I felt imprisoned by her eyes. Numb and expressionless, she bound me. And now, I was numb too. Overcome with the fact that she now knew what I've hid for so long, I suddenly felt emotionless and empty. The agonizing fear that once overcame me, and made me hide from the world was now my reality. I suppose you never really think it's real if the only one who knows it is you. And here she was. And she knew.
By Maja Zulovic7 years ago in Psyche
Finding Yourself in Sobriety
When I came out of treatment I had no idea who I was anymore. That might sound dramatic but thats honestly how I felt. I always knew myself as the “party girl” and thought thats what made people like me. Boy oh boy was I delusional… I used to think that was one of my best qualities, but in reality I think it was the quality people liked least about me. I remember coming out of treatment and for the first few weeks I think I cried almost every night in bed. I just felt so lonely… I had people around me too, so I wasn’t actually alone, but you know that feeling when your in a room full of people but still feel completely alone? That's what I was going through. The only thought that kept popping into my head was “who the fuck am I?” To be completely honest, being in addiction made me quiet self-centred and I thought everything revolved around me, and when I came out of treatment, I may have not been using drugs or alcohol but lets be real…
By Kyra Scott7 years ago in Psyche
