"It is hard to understand addiction, unless you have experienced it." That is a quote by Ken Hensley. He was the lead singer for Uriah Heep way back in the 70's. He was also a member of Blackfoot for a while, too. Anyway, someone I know sent around a black balloon on Facebook asking people to share it if they know someone who is suffering or had suffered with alcoholism or addiction. I shared the post since my wife died of her addiction. And the balloon has kept me thinking of Sharon since this morning.
Hensley's quote is correct, I think. Most people have no clue what they are talking about when they talk about addiction. People who don't know what happened with my wife have told me that "they can stop f they want to" or "they need to hit bottom first". If you ever hear either of those statements thrown out when talking to someone about addiction, then I can guarantee you that they do not know what they are talking about. I have had counselors tell me that Sharon needed to hit bottom before she could recover. Well, Sharon hit bottom after bottom, and never quit. I truly believe she wanted to quit...she suffered mightily not being able to be around her children. And yet, she never stopped drinking. She lost her house, her children, her husband. She went in and out of jail and rehab facilities, yet she drank until it killed her. Everyone is not the same. For some, a large loss of some type will start them on the road to recovery. For others, nothing will stop them if the issue that started the downward spiral to begin with isn't addressed. I hope that people fill Facebook with black balloons to bring awareness to alcoholism and addiction. So many families suffer from it. A couple of people have shared the balloon so far. I am honestly not expecting many to do so, however. So few people recognize their own addictions, or those of the ones they love unless it is a hard drug of some sort. No one thinks of their smoking friends as addicts...or their friends who like to get drunk on the weekends as alcoholics. If people miss those easy ones, then they certainly won't realize the people who are addicted to carbs or the people suffering from an eating disorder. For those of you who know me, if you see the balloon up on my wall, share it. I doubt it will help anyone...or really make a difference at all for any addicts. What it might do, though, is help to remind someone who has lost someone to addiction that the person they lost wasn't trying to hurt them. That addiction is a disease and that it needs to be treated as such. If you know someone who is suffering from an addiction, don't wait for them to hit bottom. The bottom they hit may be the bottom of a grave. There is no easy answer to addiction, but pretending that the person "did it to themselves" is NOT the answer. If you know someone who needs help, there are places that can be useful. Here is a List of Rehabs. Click on the link and it will show you rehabs in your area. The two that Sharon went to did not help her. Sharon had addictive personality disorder and her circumstances made it very hard to diagnose. We sent her to alcohol rehabs, when in actuality she likely needed a program that was designed for multiple addictions. Share the balloon, and share the above link. Who knows, maybe someone will be helped by it.
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