Addiction

I'm sure you have heard addicts being referred as lazy, low-lives, worthless beings. Although they may be lazy, they are not worthless beings. What society often fails to take into account is how addiction is a disease. This claim is often dismissed by the argument of "how does a disease make someone snort some coke? Inject some heroin?" To understand this we need to look deeper into the situation. 

Picture this: you have just got back from a long day at work. Your boss had the critical undertone again - the reports you had spent all of last evening doing had some mathematical errors. There was a sense of tension within the team, a promotion was coming through and you really needed the extra money. You and your partner had been facing some difficulties, each day you were becoming more frustrated. You felt like crap. As you were changing from your work clothes you took a peak at the mirror. The disgust. You had put on 2 stones in the last month. You make your way to the kitchen but the dinner you make burns. There was nothing else in the fridge. You turn around and on the opposite counter is your beloved Porto. You grab a glass, that glass of wine turns to the bottle. That bottle of wine and Come Dine With Me become your company for the night. You fall asleep on the couch, knowing that tomorrow is just going to be another day like today.

Now imagine this, as you were growing up you saw your father hit your mother every day. You barely had any food, and what there was to eat you had to give your younger sibling.  Your mum couldn't find a job and your dad was too busy drinking away what material goods you had left. School was your escape. But as you walk into the school everyone stares at you. You looked rough from last night - you couldn't get any sleep last night as you hid under the bed, hearing your father shout at your mum you are a whore! The children judged your tired look and uniform full of holes. You make it through the first part of the day but then comes lunch time. You are starving. All you had for dinner was some stale bread. Everywhere you look you see shiny lunch-boxes full of delicious food. Oh that ham and cheese sandwich. You put your hands in your pockets and find an old chocolate bar. That will have to do. The bell rings and everyone happily moves onto class. You walk slowly and discretely behind. None of these people are your friends. You put your foot into the classroom and the teacher is already staring and judging you. You go to the back - no one wants to sit near you. You forgot the homework and your teacher doesn't let it go. You make one of those excuses, The Dog Ate It!, but in truth you did want to do it - but your young sister had spent the whole evening crying and you had been trying to help her. The class finally finishes and the teacher wants to have a word, Dom, Is everything ok at home? What are you meant to say? No? So that your father can hit you with the belts again? The words are trapped in your mouth but they slowly come out, Yes, Miss. Everything is great! On your walk back home you see all the other kids get in their posh cars with their happy looking families. You turn the corner, you see your father at the pub. You run home before he gets there - it is the only time you have to help your mother and your younger sister.

Now, ask yourself, wouldn't you need a couple glasses of wine after that?

The stories shared here can be deemed as extreme and over-the-top, but sometimes a lot more happens behind closed doors than surfaces. It is important to remember that everyone is carrying their own baggage. Unfortunately some people only know how to cope with this baggage through the excessive use of drugs and alcohol, as it numbs their pain. Why in two brothers who experienced the same upbringing, and only one develops the disease, is to do with the brain. The difference between the brothers is that one of them their brains does not know when to stop.

So, next time you see someone in the street asking for money for drugs or drinking away their lives, ask yourself, 'what made this person chose this life?'