by Theresa Carbone

Created on: November 30, 2008   Last Updated: December 03, 2008

Drug addiction: The Battle Within?

A battle? More like a never- ending war. Whatever your drug of choice may be, it will linger and hover over you for your entire life. Its in your ear, begging for one more hit. It wakes you up in the middle of the night enticing you. That drug calls you when you are scared and need to get away. It's in the back of your mind when you are happy, asking for a celebratory hit. This drug has ruined you; it's not like an unfaithful lover that you can give back their belongings and be rid of. It's in your pocket, on your paycheck, staring at you from every dark corner.

Maybe this sounds unfathomable. Maybe it is the story of your life. Either way, the thought of something, besides a higher power, having that much control over you is mind- boggling. You've heard of rehab and Narcotics Anonymous. You've probably noticed how television has glorified its use. For some, they never shake its reach. They are forever entangled in its web of despair. For others, they have the will power to fight the forces. It's a truly eye- opening experience to become drug free and see all the things you've missed out on.

Some people find the strength through support systems, such as NA. This program is designed for fellow addicts to acknowledge that they are not the only ones going through this. It is designed to encourage drug free living through the strength of many a men's shoulder. Many people have stayed clean for years and years due to this networking. One has to be willing to work the program though. Without the willingness, they cannot overcome the urge.

Then, there are rehabs. A place where you sit in a room and maybe detox or find your higher power. Rehabs have the power to prescribe medicines, believed to help one kick the habit. Again, they also encourage a support system.

The only sure fire way to complete the transition from nonfunctioning drug addict to functioning human being is through will power and determination. Maybe you have to go through a truly life changing experience to realize that drugs are bad. Maybe it will be the thought of not helping your daughter raise her child. Maybe you almost died. Whatever the reason, the most stressed motive for living a regular life is yourslef. You have to realize that you have the right to live. You have the right to be sane. You have the right to be yourself. Drugs are looked at as a way out, an escape from the day to day details that make life... life. How to cope is something taught when we are young. It is learned and can be mastered. There are thousands of people out there who have become drug free. As I've stated earlier, the idea still lingers, but they have learned to cope.

Being under the influence impairs your judgement. You lose the right to make decisions for yourself. You lose the right to be nurtured. Only you, have done this to yourself. You chose to not care, therefore you choose for no one else to care. Drug addiction is to blame for destroying countless families. For wives crying in the dark of night. For children lying hungry on the floor waiting for their Mommy to come home. Drugs claim the lives of not only thousands of addicts every year, but also for claiming the lives of innocent bystanders. Who wants to be responsible for such tragedies. Tragedies that could've been avoided.

In closing, I say this to you my fellow human being... you have the choose. Wake up and take the cake. Acknowledge that life is too precious to be ungrateful. Your life is precious. You must acknowledge that you deserve more than these cards you think life has dealt. You can trade in your cards for a new hand. It begins with you.

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