Freedom From Addiction
As We Get Ready To Celebrate the 4th of July, I always remember the millions of Americans who are in bondage to all types of Addiction. This is a classic poem about the Disease of Addiction.
I AM YOUR DISEASE
Hello all, I hate this whole recovery movement, I hate meetings. I hate your higher power; I hate anyone who has a program or gets help to understand me. To all who encounter me, know that my main objective is to cause you, your family, and your communities, suffering, pain, and death. Allow me to introduce myself: I am the disease of addiction. CUNNING, BAFFLING, AND POWERFUL, that’s me.
I’m not prejudiced, I don’t care where you live or the car you drive, your last name, your age, race, sexual identity, religion, or lack of religion, I have no mercy. I love to catch you with the element of surprise. I love pretending that I am your friend and lover, the answer to the problem. I have given you comfort, have I not? Wasn’t I there when you were lonely? When you wanted to die, didn’t you call me? I am the one thing that has ALWAYS been there for you. I love to make you hurt. I love to make you cry. Better yet, I love to make you so numb you can’t feel or have emotions. When you can’t feel or don’t care about yourself or anyone around.
This is true glory for me. I will give you instant gratification and all I ask of you is long-term suffering. I’ve been there for you always. When things were going right for you in your life, you invited me into your live
You said you didn’t deserve these good things and I was the ONLY ONE who would agree with you. Together, we (your addiction) were able to destroy all of the good things in your life and the lives of the people around you. People don’t take me seriously, there’s this social stigma in society that helps to keep me strong, it’s been there for years. Society takes other diseases seriously, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, not me though and I’m not going to tell them. Fools that they are, they don’t get it, without my help so many of these problems and diseases wouldn’t even be possible. I am such a hated disease, yet I DON’T COME WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION.
You might try me because you’re bored, or you don’t feel like you fit in, maybe there are problems at home, or you are confused about your identity, or sometimes you have an untreated mental illness, I don’t care, it doesn’t matter, because once I hook you, YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE ME, you can’t even stop yourself. So many of you have chosen me over reality or peace or used me looking for it.
You know what’s funny; I help strengthen myself by trapping you into feeling shame, guilt, embarrassment and secrecy. Beautiful and quite clever if I may say so myself. I am very supportive is that society has created this stigma around me, a secret that denies I even exist. I know it’s finally been listed in the medical books as a chronic brain disease, but the systems is so screwed up that even if you want help it’s made so hard that you suffer, get locked up, or die while trying to get it. Don’t worry your secret, is safe with me. You see that stigma helps me to isolate you, and your families. The secret will only die in the light, so shhh, don’t tell anyone. I affect everyone around you…while leading you to believe that you’re only hurting yourself. More than you hate me, I hate all of you…all of you that participate in self-care twelve-step programs, interact with supportive loving people.
I hate all of you…all of you that participate in self-care twelve-step programs, interact with supportive loving people and who get regular treatment and professional help. Your programs, your meetings, your grassroots organizations, your treatment, your Higher Power, THEY ALL WEAKEN ME, And in this weak state I can’t function in a manner I am accustomed to. I’m very patient though, and I can lie very quietly. As you exhale thinking things are all better, or you’ve been cured… I’m here. And if you slowly separate yourself from me for any length of time or forget I exist I’m happy to say, Welcome Back. When you don’t stay in check with your emotional, physical, mental, spiritual health and wellbeing you’re out of balance and vulnerable to me and it’s easy for me to see you slipping back into my vicious cycle. I’m just waiting for you to drop your guard I will divert you from your path and disguise myself through other ways and means, money, material stuff, or status I have many identities. When you only exist, I may live. When you live, I only exist. But I AM HERE… waiting! And….until we meet again if we meet again……. I wish you, your family, and your communities, pain, suffering, and death.
Sincerely,
Your Disease – Author Unknown
©Wanda Currie
Vision of Recovery believes in and practices a non-denominational Christian perspective to Addiction Recovery/Mental Health Care. Vision of Recovery integrates biblically based information with coaching and counseling interventions to treat the whole person: Spiritually, Emotionally, and Physically.