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ARTICLE RELATING TO MY PROPOSAL!

How to help an addict?

How to Help an Addict?

            Everyone will need some form of advice or help at some point in life. There will be a time when children will require guidance, or a brother will confide in a sister for some relationship advice, or a neighbor needs to borrow milk for a cake being baked. No matter the severity of the issue, daily, people reach out to one another for help. Still, there are people struggling, miserable in desperate need of help, but are unsure of which way to turn for help, and usually when they find help they are not willing to accept it. These people are addicts. So, how would one effectively help someone with an addiction?

            First and foremost, it is important to remember that an active drug user has placed a huge, imaginary wall between themselves and the rest of the world, leaving them very much alone. It is important to remain diligent in an attempt to breech that wall, as to show them they are not alone. One way to ensure they are never alone in this journey is to implement the idea of a higher power in order for them to realize that there is something bigger than them out there. This will help instill hope into the addict’s chaotic life. Another way to help them feel less alone in this endeavor is to introduce them to a twelve step program, such as Narcotics Anonymous or Alcoholics Anonymous, and help them to find a sponsor. This will allow the addict to meet people just like them who have struggled at one point but have found a new life for themselves. Going to meetings with people similar to themselves will allow them to feel like they are a part of something, instead of being isolated from the world.

            Another key component in one being able to help a suffering addict is being able to empathize with addiction, or having an experience with addiction. Although a background in addiction is not required to help an addict, it could help tremendously. For example, a boy who is an aspiring basketball player would be more willing to take advice from Michael Jordan, more so than he would take advice from his mother on the matter. This can be applied to helping an addict. If the person could share a similar experience with the addict, the addict could find hope by envisioning their life being turned around as well. Since not everyone has had a run in with drugs or alcohol, a person with a strong desire to help and the ability to empathize could certainly offer hope as well. As long as the addict sees that someone cares about them, they may be able to see a brighter future for themselves.

            Addiction will slowly take the meaning out of the addict’s life. Once life loses all meaning, it is hard to find the will to turn it around. With that being said, the addict will need a ton of guidance to find the right type of treatment because it isn't easy to be proactive when life has lost all meaning. Just like in any other aspect of life, taking the initial first step towards moving forward it the hardest and most uncomfortable, especially for someone as lost as a suffering addict. The addict needs tons of moral support, and knowledge of the options available.

            Being able to help someone turn their life around is an extremely rewarding opportunity. Although it 

may be hard to break through the barrier that has been put in place by the addict, it is plausible with 

diligence and a warm heart. The addict will need to find a support group such as NA/AA, and get a 

sponsor. Along with a sponsor, they will need to rely on their higher power. There is no better feeling than 

having a life worth living, and with a little help from good people, everybody could make a better life for 

themselves.

I found this article as I was browsing the net for articles/interesting news about addiction:

ENTERTAINMENT

Jada Pinkett Smith reveals addiction struggles, view on divorce

September 24, 2013 | By Nardine Saad

Jada Pinkett Smith is getting philosophical with age and revealing that she previously struggled with addiction. The actress and wife of megastar Will Smith turned 42 on Sept. 18, prompting her to reflect on where she's been and where she is now. "What I learned about myself is this, when I was younger I was not a good problem solver, meaning I had a very difficult time with dealing with my problems in life," she wrote on her Facebook page. PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities "I had many addictions, of several kinds, to deal with my life issues, but today, at 42, I have my wisdom, my heart and my conscience as the only tools to overcome life's inevitable obstacles.

Source: http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/addiction

This article really drew me in, and really attracted me because it is referring to someone so admirable, such as Jada Pinkett. Wow, who would have thought that someone as successful and beautiful  as Jada has been affected by an addiction? This issue is on going and radically increasing the numbers of lives that are affected each day. Addiction is a difficult issue to address because there isn't one solution that will help everyone. Each person will need a different source of help. Addiction...

All over the world, on a daily basis, people are struggling with one thing or another, whether it is: poverty, hunger, divorce, etc. Now, most people don’t choose to struggle, or become the underdog intentionally, but sometimes life makes it impossible to evade certain challenges. Addiction to drugs or alcohol is amongst those critical life challenges that can become nearly impossible to overcome. The ones that do overcome can develop a sense of meaning in their lives, that was once lost.
There are several stages of addiction, each stage worse than the next. At first drug use may seem manageable, controllable if you will. “I guess really I started because I saw everyone in my family use drugs and alcohol to cope with life, so I figured if it worked for them, it’d work for me”, she said as she took another sip of her Dr. Pepper. I first met Mary first 10 years ago in middle school. We’ve always been pretty close, and the fact that we have both suffered from addiction and have both healed through recovery, makes us even closer today. She has become such a big influence on my life, and she has seen me at my worse, and still accepts me today.
Addiction is an extremely controversial issue. The argument between whether addiction is a choice or a disease is a non-stop disagreement that is neither here, nor there because no one would purposefully choose to lose everything for a substance. From my personal experience, it angers me that people think that we would choose this life for ourselves. Mary agrees: “It was never my intention to allow myself so completely unable to control my actions once drugs were introduced to my life. Did I choose to become addicted to them? No, absolutely not. I will admit, however, that I chose to first introduce them into my life as a coping agent for day to day issues I was having, but I wasn’t thinking of the long term effects when I initially did them.” I could sense that she was becoming a little emotional as she started to remember the beginning of her drug use 8 years ago, she became a little uneasy, and started to fidget.  It was getting late, and we both had work in the morning so we decided it would be best to call it a day, and start fresh tomorrow.
Personally, I believe that when we’re growing up our parents do their best to instill morals and values in us, so that we can become civilians whom can respect authority and do the right thing on a daily basis. Addiction ensures that slowly but surely we let go of ourselves. “I still remember the moment when I realized that it became more than just something I did to cope. It became a part of me, my worst enemy, and my biggest need. It was no longer just something I did occasionally. It stopped being appealing, or ‘fun’.” Being in an active addiction causes someone to lose sight of all morals, and values to be lost. Anything that was once fun, no longer is. Just getting out of bed in the morning becomes a challenge in itself. “Honestly, the worst part of the whole thing was the moment when I stopped caring about who I was, and no longer respected others. Eventually, it became too expensive for my income alone, so I would just steal from anyone or anywhere just to get by. I’m not proud of it, but it happened.” Despite the fact that I already knew all the bad she had done and all the trials she had underwent, I could feel her pain and see it in her eyes that she was sincerely ashamed that she let her life get to that point. She had lost all of her values that she once stood so strong on.
Dictionary.com defines wits’ end as “limit of one’s sanity or mental capacity/ point of desperation”. That is exactly the point to which addiction leads people straight to. “I definitely no longer wanted to live, so I wasn’t being proactive about trying to find a solution for this sad life that I created for myself. It was such a catch 22 because I was miserable, but I was too far gone to do anything positive to correct it.” She started to tear up, and asked if she could go smoke a cigarette, so we sat outside and she explained that life wasn’t worth living at that point in her life anymore. “I finally hit my rock bottom (the lowest point ever reached in one’s life), and that’s when I realized I was the only one that could pull me out of this hell hole. I admitted myself to rehab, which was extremely humbling having to admit that I even needed help, but it was the best decision I have ever made. I’m no longer the underdog, I am a survivor, and I have to remind myself of that every day.” I still remember both of us hitting our rock bottom, almost simultaneously. Once that point is reached, it is nearly impossible to actually gather up enough strength to recollect yourself, and undo all the wrongs.
Addiction takes people down a road that is essentially a dead end, and a seemingly never ending road to death. Once, the initiative is taken to make a better life for one’s self then the recovery process may begin. Recovery is a difficult obstacle that is challenged daily with constant temptation, but once the decision has been made to stick with it, and keep living right the addict can continue loving them self and no longer be an underdog. Mary is truly a survivor.  She no longer lives in self-pity, but self-worth. There is hope after addiction

Addiction does NOT discriminate.

http://theadvocate.com/entertainment/8284959-84/hoffman-among-thousands-of-addiction



According to Google "the average life span of the American man today is 78.64 years". Which then leads me to believe that 46 is much too young to die, especially for an extremely wealthy, successful man who worked his way from the bottom to the top. Philip Seymour Hoffman has played many roles varying from TV shows like Law and Order to the big screen. In 2005 he played in "Capote", which he won best actor and best actor in a leading role. This man made a huge success out of his life, so what uprooted this? Addiction. Philip was sober for 23 years and one relapse initally ended his whole world. It's a scary thought that this disease laid dormant for so long and was the demise of Philip.

Essay Woo

I have never been one to blog, nor have I ever followed a blog, so the whole concept of having a blog is new to me. I figured if I was going to maintain one, it would have to be something that I was passionate about, or that I knew a lot about, or even something that I have to cope with on a daily basis. Alcohol and drug addiction is a huge issue that millions of Americans have to deal with.

            In my opinion, addiction is a hard concept for people to grasp unless they have personally lived with the disease. Active addiction comes with a lot of negative effects on everyday living, but despite all the negative impact that lifestyle causes, it isn’t so easy to quit. There is a huge controversy with addiction being a choice or a disease. From my personal experience, I can honestly say I would never choose that lifestyle.

            The inability to stop using drugs had a crippling effect on every aspect of my life. All bridges were burned, and anything I worked for was quickly lost in the destructive path of addiction. Once my life was in pieces, it made it nearly impossible to be optimistic for anything better for myself.

            It took 6 years in my addiction to finally hit rock bottom. At the time it was the most miserable place I have ever been, but today I am grateful that I had to get to that point. Rock bottom is when I was finally able to surrender and get the help that I needed.

            In conclusion, addiction is a huge aspect of my life. I am a recovering addict, and I am broaching the 3 year sober mark. I figured what better topic to discuss then this one. I used to be ashamed of this portion of my life, but not anymore.