Someone you know may be an addict; in fact, you may love an addict yourself.
Addiction to illegal substances - yes, drugs - destroys families. Using is personal to each individual, who often believes their actions affect only themselves; not surprising, because addiction to drugs is often described as an egocentric disease.
As the user destroys their life, those people around them are drawn into the insanity. Thus, they become "sick," too. That's why substance use disorder is often referred to as the "family disease."
In 1998, when addiction crossed over my threshold and entered into my family, I had no clue. I expected it to be a minor inconvenience interrupting our lives. I was sadly mistaken.
Susan Avery is the author of Addicted: Our Strength Under the Influence, published in 2023 under her pen name, Annie Augustus Rose. She is a facilitator for Nar-Anon Family Groups. Dear Son, My December birthday came and went last week. I thought I might've heard from you, but I...
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