What Do You Wish People Understood About Addiction?

@blitheSun94

That it's not some "uncurebale disease" and it can very much become a thing of the past if you're really to put in the effort to make it so.

That a sufferer may have problems beyond addiction and with addiction that seem almost impossible to solve. That at some point he or she lost the choice in drink or drug and it doesn't make them a bad person. Though as selfish and self centered the user may be he or she is usually unaware and unable to solve the riddle on their own. If one chooses abstinence they need alot of support, alot of understanding, and usually therapy. An alcoholic or drug addict getting sober is not a pretty sight so be aware were not just gonna remove the substance and become wonderful people.

I know this is a pretty old thread, but anyway I just wanna post, so I do ;)

For me, one of the most important things is that every addict is different and there is not just one way to recovery. I feel like everyone has their opinion (and that's okay, of course), but it doesn't always help if people give their opinion about your addiction, because they know little about you and your situation.

@blitheSun94

That developing an addiction isn't always the result of a conscious decision. Someone who started using at a very young age didn't "decide" to become an addict. We are products of our environment, genetics, etc.

i actually have two, if you could message me about one, i just have a question about it...but this one isn't about me, its about my dad.

I used to be a daddys girl, me and my dad did everything together when i was a baby and a toddler. he started drinking...he would abuse my mom and then it started with my sister....he never touched me or hurt me....then the alcohol got to him even more. he began drinking every night and would come home and fall asleep on the floor. I would wake up to the smell of it in my room and i couldn't handle it, i began getting ill because of it and my dad didn't care. He began to get frustrated with me and would beat me, he then hit my twin brothers, they were newborns....and one night him and me uncle came home drunk and my uncle hit my brothers for crying....he killed them, he was put into jail and that made my dad even more mad, so he left my mom with me and my older sisters. now at 17 i talk to my dad every now and then and he said that he started drinking at age 10, and he cant stop. its a part of him, hes tried to stop, but nothing ever works....nothing can stop his urge to drink other than the thought of hurting us, so he left us, because it was killing him not to drink, but it was killing him to see us hurt....he apologizes every time he sees us...but he chose the drinking over us.

-----Addiction isn't something to mess or to play with. Once you try something and the littlest part of you enjoys it...it will consume you. make you choose things you normally wouldn't, it will not only hurt you, but hurt the people you love. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU CAN STOP IT. Everything will work out in the end.....-----

---Addiction is a demon waiting for little angels to try something....and right when they are at their weakest, the demon {addiction} will strike and consume each and every inch of their body until they are in control of the body and the mind.---

I wish people understood that not all addiction cases are the same. I wish people did not look at addiction as a mental disorder and instead a choice that became addicting. There are people in this world who have addicting personalities. They are more likely to become addicted to something (chewing gum, smoking, etc). At one point in time these people choose to pick up that drug or bottle, and they choose to do it again and eventually they were reliant on it. How can you compare someone who has chosen to try it to someone who has bipolar disorder, multiple personality, hears voices, etc to someone who picked up a bottle or drug. My aunt and uncle were both addicts. My uncle to the bottle and my aunt to any needle. My uncle after losing his family, friends, and multiple jobs, FINALLY went to rehab and got help, did he fail yes, but he got back up and tried again. He has been sober for almost a year and is getting his shit together somewhat. My aunt ended up becoming pregnant, used during her pregnancy, had dealers break into my grandfathers house, lost the baby to DCF, was put in multiple rehabs, steals from the entire family and will never change. There is no mental disorder here. This was all by choice.

@blitheSun94

its really hard to stop!

do not judge people who are addicted to something, they need empathy not judgement

do not tell people "i cannot understand why you have to drink, take the drugs or whatever a person is using, just leave it, i am doing it as well"

do not tell people "i know when to stop" when they do not and have great difficulties.

That most people who struggle with an addiction have been through one if not several traumatic experiences. They've not walked an easy path in life. For many, the trauma started when they were children. They don't deserve to be revictimized by the stigma that society has towards people with addictions.

Addiction isn't a choice nor does it show weakness or non-compliance in a person. It's not their faults either. No one asks to be subjected to the hardship and suffering caused by an addiction. Blaming someone for their addiction can be seen as a form of victim-blaming.

Maybe I'm a little biased here but once many users become sober, you get to know them and realize what amazing people they are. I spent a bit of time in a treatment centre and I got to know people who had been on the streets for years, who had spent time in jail, who had been through nearly unimaginable circumstances and experiences and they were some of the most kind-hearted, compassionate, wise, and smart people I'd ever crossed paths with.

Remember, there's a human being underneath all the drugs and alcohol or whatever else the addiction may be. Stop and take the time to get to know them before you pass judgement.

@blitheSun94

That addicts need support and understanding, not judgment!