The thing about addiction is, it completely tears families apart. The addict is so self serving that the only thing that matters is that they feel good. Poor me…I can’t stand the pain…I keep getting screwed…My job stinks…Life is so hard…I can’t help myself…If you had my life you’d get high too…ME…ME…ME! The wreckage caused in the wake of addiction to the family, friends, and loved ones doesn’t even matter to the addict because the nature of addiction is all about feeding that person’s ego. That is why an addict will lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, rob, and do anything it takes t get what they WANT. Unfortunately what they want most is to get high.

It’s a vicious cycle, the ego driven need to get high leads to shameful and unethical behaviors. These behaviors lead to heavy guilt, shame, and depression. Drugs and alcohol, while high, mask the pain of guilt and shame. But when the person comes down, those feelings are still there. Only now they are coupled with the sickness of withdrawal. Time to get high again. No money? Better steal some, or scam some from someone, or prostitute, or sell something. More Shame. You see where this is going.

Another cycle of addiction is the abuse cycle. Most addicts have been abused in some form or another whether it be physical, emotional, or sexual. The abuse can come from family, loved ones, friends, school officials, or completely outside aggressors, to name a few. Drugs and alcohol can hide the feelings of pain associated with abuse, but that pain doesnt go away. The situations that come along with drug use and abuse oftentimes leads to other situations of abuse. Rape, prostitution, physical violence, emotional slavery, and neglect are just some of the types of abuse that comes with addiction. Also, the drug user also sometimes becomes the abuser. Again, more guilt, more shame, more pain, more drugs, more alcohol. the cycle continues.

The way to stop the cycles of addiction is to, first, get all of the drugs out of the system. Then start to adress the root issues that cause the behaviors. Then, the addict must learn to get outside and over themself to realize that life is not all about them and fulfilling their desires. One must think of how thier behaviors effect other people. Also, they must take responsibility for their own actions. It’s not about what the world os doing to them, but its about when they are doing to themselves and the world. They must learn how to confront abusers, and stop the abuse cycle. They must learn how to communicate their needs in order to stand up for themselves against abuse and not allow the abuse to continue. Most importantly they must learn to deal with abuse without becoming the abuser themselves.

Any good drug rehab program will address all these issues. It is a very difficult task for the drug addict to address them all, and can be very painful. Without the drugs they are feeling many things that they have been masking all along, and sometimes feeling things they have never felt before. With persistence without fear, diligence, patience and willingness, one can make it through and break the cycles of addiction.