Literature & Thoughts

Once An Addict, Always An Addict – Call For Help

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As soon as the doctor told Liza the truth, she went straight to Henry to talk to him and to make him understand, to not be an addict anymore. She went to a friend to speak her thoughts and make her heavy heart feel lighter. “It’s going to be alright”, she hoped. Henry agreed that he will go to the Rehabilitation center and put himself in the hands of a specialist.

“I don’t want him to be an addict, once and always.” Words mumbled from her mouth. “Poor Henry. He must have broken down and would be terribly upset at my knowing about him being an addict. I made him agree that he must fight this awful craving for my sake. But he said that I do not have even a slight concept of what he would have to go through, to not be an addict. What a pain it would be, I tried to suppose, I could not. I only knew that he should not be an addict. He must be free from it.”

Yes…Little did she knew that it had become a kind of obsession. Some times, people should not be responsible for their actions. It was awful. Liza thought that when going far away from home, might help his husband fight away his addiction. Her daughter stood silent, for the words were no more forming any sense. Once an addict, always an addict. This thought set her little world to full stop. Suddenly a sound blew up the sky. It sounded like a gun shot form the house. It was a shot from the study. Henry was lying sprawled out across his desk. There was a bullet wound plainly visible in the temple and a revolver laid on the floor, dropped from his hand. A piece of paper, with a few words on it, evidently freshly written, laid at his elbow. Their purport was clear enough. “I feel this is the best way out. This fatal habit has taken too great a hold on me, for me to fight it now. I wanted to do the best I can but i failed. I Quit. Because once an addict, always an addict……”

Have we ever tried to see the other side of the picture? No. What we say, has an incredible impact on what ends up happening to us in the world. Once an addict, always an addict is a hopeless, helpless and impotent way of seeing ourselves and our loved ones. We can do better. We need to find a way towards freedom, from the chains of addiction, for our loved ones. And for addicts, there is no greater struggle than the idea that they always would be an addict. No matter how far from the addiction they get, once an addict, always an addict would always haunt their lives. This label would always be tagged along their names.

Lets change this narrative about addiction. And about the supposed image that an addict would always be in a constant state of dysfunction and disease. And this image also permeates our understanding of it. Let us show anybody who struggles with addiction, that the way IS THROUGH. And that a struggle with addiction right now means very little. It is worthless in front of what a worthy person you would be in future.

Lets encourage that being an addict at this moment, in this time, means only one thing: That you are struggling with addiction, that you need help and empathy, that you need release and understanding. Not shame, not judgement, just a helping hand. Let’s set out to change the way the world sees addiction. So that whoever struggled with addiction in the past, can no longer be an addict.

Once an addict, can always be a caring husband, a loving father, a responsible citizen, a teacher, an entrepreneur, a coffee lover, a CEO, a coach, a student, and much much more.

What are you? Let’s change the narrative. Be the change.

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