What is addiction to you (in your life)?
A serious problem in our society today is drug abuse and addiction, as well as the destructive effects it has on your health, appearance, and the inevitable problems it brings to oneself, family, and the environment you live in. I’m sure a majority of Americans have either dealt with this epidemic or know someone who has faced drug addiction, it’s a fix and the aftermath. Simply having an addiction to drugs leads want to have a devastating influence to not only the user but also their family and community as a whole. So allow me to share my personal challenge and experience with drug addiction.
Since the age of 11, I have suffered with drug addiction, it's destruction, mayhem, and overall negative lifestyle that accompanies this serious problem. I have, unfortunately, brought police presence to my families homes. I have cost them financially by stealing, asking for money, all to support my habit and for treatments as well as many other costs I accrued. This addiction has cost me a great deal of emotional pain, as well as my family, not to mention the others. I have cheated, lied, and had no care for others, I did not even consider that others could be affected by my actions. I have also lost something else priceless, that is time, valuable time. Time with family and friends, time investing in me for the direction I had hoped my life would go in. Being addicted to any type of substance has lasting effects that can't be reversed. Drugs also play widely into the crimes and the occurrence of them.
Drug addiction is best described as a disease that you’ve got to fight and deal with daily. If not, you’ll continue to struggle with the deep grip and consequences of it. I realize now that drug addiction became a way for me to deal with problems, conflicts, and bad times in life. But, the more I used the drugs as a crutch the worse the problems became. Drugs often offered me a momentary relief to my situation of problems, but it was a false relief because it neither fixes nor solves them. My truth is, I’ve always struggled with my addiction because it allowed me to escape reality and what I was doing to others as well as myself.
I now see that to overcome addiction one needs strong support, motivation, direction, and above all self effort.
I write this essay to personally express the damage my drug addiction has had on myself as well as others.
This experience is not strictly limited to drug-addiction but can be applied to any addiction. I write to hopefully reach someone who struggles commonly with the same problem. I want to let them know there’s always a better way.
The negative consequences of addiction far outweigh the rewards given momentarily.
Any situation you may face can be made better with good decisions and effort.
My journey with addiction has been a constant battle in my life, it’s caused me pain, grief, misunderstanding, and ultimately drove me to be someone I internally did not like nor care for. Drug-use is my addiction and has been my problem. I constantly overcome and fix myself because if I choose not to, I will only sell myself short in this life of mine.
Being aware has definitely aided me in my recovery, hopefully you can grasp that what I’m expressing. Addictions can do nothing good for you or for others. With a little reflection on them, you can overcome them as I have done with my own.
Sincerely,
Richard