Addiction

Addiction is debilitating and changes who you are I have watched my friend's life empty of all meaning, losing everything she loved and it can be difficult to reconcile her choices But are they choices? For those untouched by addiction, it can appear selfish and within your control to stop, particularly as you lose everything satiable in your life "What's wrong with her?", "she's so embarrassing!", "she needs to pull herself together" And that is the indoctrination of addiction It is harrowing to watch the alcohol consume the person you know and love Alcohol the acceptable demon, lauded in a westernised society And used to celebrate and commiserate in equal abandon "Lets wet the baby's head" to celebrate a birth, "ooh lets have a drink" to celebrate birthdays, Xmas, weddings and christenings. "Let's drown our sorrows" or "raise a glass" to commemorate or commiserate any kind of loss, death, or receiving bad news If this is "normal" how can it be so wrong? These societally acceptable expectations make tackling alcohol addiction so much more difficult to deal with You don't just need to avoid pubs; you need to avoid restaurants, local shops, supermarkets, church and even holy communion!! So why do we look down on those struggling with addiction? We differentiate, theyre not like us "They take things too far" or "They can't hold their liquor" as though this is a quality of some worthiness Watching my friend I see it is more than that The addiction is the symptom not the cause The cause is feeling so at odds with her experiences and life that the only way she can deal with things is to block them out Just to even start the day We don't know what others have experienced In the same situation could we honestly claim we would not lose ourselves in the same way?