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Why We Need To Change How We Look At The Face Of Addiction

We're doing it wrong.

By Brandon KrogelPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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As we continue to quest towards truly understanding addiction on a deeper mental, physical and emotional level, it is imperative that we absolve ideals that are harmful to the cause.

Chances are you know or have interacted with someone who suffers from drug addiction. For me, I've seen it my whole life. I was introduced to this pervading illness and the effect it has on those around it when I was just a child.

My father was a cocaine and heroin addict. Although he did his best to juggle his addiction with living his life, he couldn't control it as he might've hoped and died of an overdose when I was 13. A few years later, my mom couldn't cope with this loss and turned to the very same drugs that killed my dad in search of relief from her grief and pain.

As I've gotten older, I've watched countless friends and other family members fall prey to the false promise that drugs offer. Some have overcome and are rebuilding their lives. Some are still living in that world. Many have died, especially in recent years. I've lost more to the addiction of others than I ever thought possible.

There is a tremendous amount of misinformation and misconception surrounding the nature of addiction. Many people don't see addiction for what it is: an illness and instead see people suffering from addiction as degenerates who have the means to help themselves but choose not to. They see these people as a burden and a decay upon society. These types of attitudes towards addiction are detrimental in finding a solution. As we continue to quest towards truly understanding addiction on a deeper mental, physical and emotional level, it is imperative that we absolve ideals that are harmful to the cause.

I've met a lot of people who are angry at addicts because they themselves have been harmed in some way by them. They've been hurt, lied to, stolen from, abandoned and more. I can sympathize with that anger because I have been there many times myself, however, such anger will never fix anything and ultimately ends up hurting us more than anything else.

We need to remember that addicts are not themselves. They are not the people they were before their addiction. Addicts are consumed by their illness. This is simply the nature of addiction. If addiction was easy to overcome then I highly doubt it would be such a prominent crisis in our world. Addiction is an illness and those suffering from it will think and act in a manner far different than what is characteristic of them. Addiction compels people to do things they could never have possibly imagined. Could you imagine going to the darkest, most degrading and defeating depths many of these people have gone just to get another fix? I can feel the shame, trauma, and pain one might have when I think about it. I imagine it would only fuel one's addiction more in the need to be relieved of such pain.

Recently I was walking downtown late one night when I spotted a group of homeless people huddled together under a tree. I had seen the cops disperse groups like this out of the park many times before and I couldn't help but always ponder the nature of what I was witnessing. The more I thought about it the more it became clear what I was seeing. Society wasn't interested in helping these people. Society wanted these people to move so they didn't have to seem them. So they didn't have to think about them. So that they didn't have to feel uncomfortable by them.

When I saw that group that night I decided to walk over and interact with them a bit. I wanted to hear their side of the story instead of society's. I introduced myself to the group and said I was wanting to gain some insight into their plight and ask what resources from the community they felt they needed most.

After my introduction, I was met by the alpha of the group, a young lady who referred to herself as "Poison."

As we got into talking I observed the crowd around me. They all ranged in age from teenagers to the elderly. Some were sleeping, others were using and a few were just talking or sitting in silence. One thing that really stood out to me when the group spoke to each other was the depth of care they seemed to have for each other and the sense of community I felt these people shared being united by their struggles. It was an eye-opening experience and I was grateful to have witnessed it.

When I asked Poison what she felt was the biggest obstacle for her and others suffering from addiction and what the community could offer that would be the most beneficial to them, she replied with one word that I did not expect to hear:

Understanding.

It took me a second to digest her response but it became easier as she continued to elaborate. She explained to me that addicts were people. They were people with feelings and emotions just like everyone else. They were hurting people who society had turned their backs on. They were somebody's mother, somebody's brother, somebody's sister and somebody's father. They were shunned by society and treated differently than others because of their struggles when in reality they are just as human as the rest of us.

When Poison told me the greatest resource the community could offer was understanding, all of the other people in the group chimed in to agree with her statement. The more I thought about what she said the more it made sense. The view that society has on addicts is perhaps the biggest obstacle towards finding a solution for addiction. We're angry at them. We're afraid of them and how they make us feel. We're uncomfortable with them and we don't want them around because they make us have to face a reality that we don't often want to entertain. These concepts fuel how society treats addicts and ultimately hinders the world's ability to help these people.

If we want to find a solution for addiction then the very first step we need to take is to find "understanding" for these broken people. Only then can we move forward in the quest for a viable solution to the crisis of addiction.

griefhealthhumanitymental healthpsychology
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About the Creator

Brandon Krogel

I'm an aspiring musician, writer and filmmaker. I love to create and find the beauty in life. My goal is to translate deep emotion into artistic works and to make a positive difference in the world.

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