Societal Temptation
Drugs are glamorized in this country in every form of entertainment, in the actions and words of friends and peers, and even in doctor's offices:
- Need to lose weight? Tada! Here's you some Phentermine! Now you can get addicted to speed!
- Need to calm down and relax more? Tada! Here's you some Xanax or Valium. Now you can get addicted to Benzos and Downers!
- Don't cross the two! Don't cross with alcohol!
Have minimal pain that plain ol' Tylenol would probably cure if you really thought about it? Tada! Here's some Lorcet!
- Still hurting? Here's some Lorcet Plus!
- Still hurting? Here's some OC 10's (Oxycontin)!
- Still hurting? Here's some OC 20's
. . . and by then, it's easy to see that “Mama ain't hurtin' no more.” If she is, it's because she is currently “without” (does not have her drug of choice) her preferred medication.
Outside of “doc shopping” (playing sick to obtain pills), there are other avenues in which drugs are introduced to society: music artists, movies, and even the slang we use to converse in this country: “Why you trippin'?” To “trip” refers to using acid or LSD. “Take a chill pill!” “Dude, why you crackin' on me?” “Chickenhead!”
Prepare for the Worst
Hey, I bet it sounds like a hard fight, this battle against drugs entering your life, huh? It is. All the pamphlets and books and seminars and meetings and talk shows in the world can tell you how to try to keep your kids off drugs, how to be there for them if they develop an addiction to something, and how to find affordable rehabilitative recovery for them when they do, but until you experience it, nothing will prepare you. Their life, your life, the life of extended family members, will never be the same. They will never view the world the same as they did before. Don't get me wrong, after having enough “clean-time” (the period of time between quitting a drug and starting it again or starting another kind), they will experience a natural joy for life again. It takes time and commitment, and unfortunately, only becomes a resolute desire after having hit rock bottom in their life.
Eventually That Thing that whispers to them the lie, “I will never again be happy without some substance in me,” grows silent, though. That Thing eventually stops screaming in their ear (yes, it screams), after enough clean time, and they adapt to life without chemicals or substances. They must stay in recovery classes or group - support classes, or in my opinion, they will relapse. There is no cure. Having been in recovery classes or group - support classes for an undetermined amount of time, they should begin to help others in the road to recovery. The best way to hold on to recovery is to give it away, they say. I absolutely agree with this approach, and there has never been a greater need for former drug addicts to rise and speak their message as there is now.
There Is No Cure
You keep this disease for life. That doorway, the one opened when you first tried the drug, the one we talked about earlier, it never closes. Ever. You must keep avoiding the doorway by use of barriers and boundaries (i.e. don't go back to the dealer's area or neighborhood; don't go back to old party places; find out what triggers a craving and never do or hear or smell or see whatever that trigger was, ever again). This is hard but it
is possible. For instance, one of my “triggers” was the chirp of a Direct Connect phone made by Motorola. Because I was not only an addict, but also dealer, whenever someone needed to purchase something, they would “key up” my phone. Once clean, the chirping sound heard from one of these phones triggered memories associated with that sound and then scenes, smells, feelings associated with using and dealing flooded my mind. For a moment, in my mind, I would be pulled back to a life of being high whenever I wanted, having however much I wanted, and even whatever drug I wanted. That Thing talks a good game, gives many excuses and “you deserve this after all your hard work” reasons.
Consequences Playing a Role
The moment always passed, of course, when my wiser side reminded me of Julia Tutwiler Prison, here in South Alabama. Consequences must play a role in recovery from drug addiction, I am a firm believer in that. Some consequences are harsher than others, however, depending on what state the charge originated. Sometimes too harsh of a sentence results in the unneeded “education” of addicts who would never have thought on their own “how to get away with it next time” in the manner they learn when going to prison. Drug law reform is needed in many areas, but a balance of ordered consequences of actions should be met.
