I was privileged to speak before Ms. Hemmer's Nursing class at Miles Community College, yesterday. They have a Registered Nurse program, that is quite good. I spoke on the subject of addiction. I have lectured the students for several years. I must be doing something right, because I keep getting invited back. I talked about experience, strength and hope, my life before and after mu drug use, what my life was like, what happened, and what it is like now. I also talked about the differing genetic structure that is the cause of one being an addict.
There seems to be much misinformation about the disease of addiction. It is not a choice. It is part of our genetic makeup. We don't have a "choice" in the matter. We can choose to not use drugs, and alcohol is a drug, or we can choose to use. Once we use, the old expression "One is too many, and a thousand is never enough" comes into play.
An addict is what we are. It is nothing shameful, it is a part of us. We are born with a terminal disease. We will die with that disease. BUT, we do not have to die from it. The choice, is not to use drugs in any form. Alcohol is a drug.
Just as a person with Diabetes keep his disease under control by using medicine, we keep our disease under control by NOT using "medicine." You see, our natural state is loaded. When we are loaded, there are only three results. Jails, Institutions, and Death. When we don't use, and avail ourselves of a good 12 step program, such as Narcotics Anonymous, we learn how to live among normal people, in normal society, and often become respected, productive members of that society.
Remember this: being an addict is not a choice. You either are one, or you are not. Some people who have used drugs, are not. Just as some people who use the drug, alcohol, are not "alcoholics." My advice is, before you take that first fix, pill, or drink, stop. Put it down, and walk away. If you really are an addict, it will surface in other ways. (Gambling, compulsive overeating, the list is very long.) The deal is, at least not masking the problem with drugs won't lead to jails, institutions, and death.
Agape
Lee
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We are all addicted to something, as you have said, but we can control it if we don't use another addictive behavior and just use our minds and in many cases our religion. We have two sides of our brain, the logical and the passionate, and we can use both of these to control and maintain our thoughts, words that are spoken, and deeds. When we are tempted with an addictive behavior, it is the loss of control of one side or the other of our brains that leads us into that behavior, and then ,as we progress into that behavior, we lose both sides of our brains. Then we are not cognizant of our thoughts, or words, or our deeds.
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