Battling Addiction

by Melanie Marsden

There are few things I hate in life. Hate is such a strong word loaded with negative emotions. But I hate Oxycontin. And I hate Heroin. In my unprofessional completely biased opinion – they are the same thing. If you are using and haven’t made this connection yet – you’re fooling yourself. If someone you love is using and you think – at least they aren’t on dope – then wake up and see that it’s just as bad and only a matter of time before they get there. Nobody wakes up one day and says, “I think I’ll go shoot dope.” They get there one desperate day when they can’t afford the pills that they fooled themselves into believing for too long – were no big deal. I’ve lost a young cousin to suicide because he couldn’t get and stay clean, a boyfriend to an overdose after years of trying to get straight. I also have many friends, family and neighbors who walk around each day living a horrible existence because of addiction. Each of them started taking OC’s and some have graduated to Heroin.

I use the term junkie quite often in this story. I’m sorry if that label offends you. But I couldn’t write this piece without using it. Strong words carry strong meanings. This is one of them and where I use it – I use it to relay the strong feelings I feel about this horrible addiction. I don’t use this term as a put down – in fact I have come a long way and really try not to judge anyone about where choices in their life have taken them. As they say – “there but for the grace of God go you or I.” So when I say junkie – I say it with love. Because there are many junkies in my life that I have loved or still love. And my choice of words is to distinguish between the whole healthy person who existed before the drugs took control and the addict that they have become. I don’t hate them. Each and every one of them hate themselves enough. I don’t think less of them. They’ve got that covered too. And if you haven’t lived through watching someone you love turn into someone else in front of your very eyes you should thank God every day for shielding you from the heartache, pain and uncertainty that living life loving an addict can bring. And the next time your path crosses the path of a junkie remember that the shell of a person before you – is someone’s son or brother or friend. Instead of looking down on them or judging them – say a prayer for them and thank God that you weren’t given or didn’t choose this cross to bear in your lifetime. Easier said than done if you’ve been affected directly by their need for drugs. Especially hard to do if you’ve been robbed by, lied to or manipulated by an addict. If you have been, then I know it’s hard to read this with an open mind. If you have been I am sorry. And they are too whether or not they can tell you directly. They live with what they have done every day. I know it doesn’t take it away or make it better – but their hell is here on earth. Don’t judge those around you who are dealing with an addict in their life because until you are in a situation you never know how you yourself would handle it.

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By Trevor Kugler

In this country the term “drug abuse” is a very often misused term. When you hear or read the term “drug abuse”, what pops into your mind? Things like cocaine, heroine methamphetamines, marijuana, and crack, right? And you think of completely out of touch ‘junkies’ living on the streets, selling whatever they can for money, right? Or, at least the types of drugs listed here to be the ‘real’ drugs, right? These are the drugs that people abuse, right?

Drug abuse in the form of alcohol, nicotine, and prescription drugs is actually much more prevalent in our culture, but no one wants to talk about that. If you have a six pack in the comfort of your own home, you don’t abuse drugs, right? If you smoke cigarettes, while disgusting, you’re not thought of as a drug abuser are you? If you take a pill everyday, that a doctor told you that you could take, and that pill alters your ‘reality’ somehow, is that drug abuse?

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By Larry Smith

One of the most difficult times of the year for those recovering from alcoholism is the Christmas holidays. If you find yourself struggling during the Christmas season, please remember that you are not alone. Help is only a phone call or a meeting away! Here are some helpful and practical tips to keep you from taking that first drink.

1. Plan Each and Every Day of Your Holiday

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By Larry Smith

One of the most difficult times of the year for those recovering from alcoholism is the Christmas holidays. If you find yourself struggling during the Christmas season, please remember that you are not alone. Help is only a phone call or a meeting away! Here are some helpful and practical tips to keep you from taking that first drink.

1. Plan Each and Every Day of Your Holiday

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* Note: This post is a generic post being duplicated on all Battling-Series of blogs …

Blogger(s) Wanted

I am looking for individuals to write for each of the “Battling-Series” of blogs .. on a shared revenue basis. Bloggers will share in ad revenues generated by the site on an agreed formula (first $100 USD plus 60% of the excess). There is no guarantee of future earnings and these blogs are currently not earning any revenues at this time. However, I believe that the potential for future earnings is there.

If blogging for me sounds appealing to you ..
.. EMAIL >> hart (at) PetLvr (dot) com ..
.. with the following information:

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Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood has checked himself into rehab.

The 59-year-old guitarist is believed to have been battling alcoholism for some time and has now decided to take action.

….

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It may take more than therapy to cure a ‘sex addict’, for boffins have discovered that genetics, and not uncontrollable urges are responsible for some people having stronger sex drives than others.

This discovery has been made by a team of scientists from Hebrew University and Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, who have found that being addicted to sex may come as a result of variations in a gene called D4, which is involved in the brain’s reaction to the pleasure chemical dopamine.

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The Miami Herald reports that RB Ricky Williams is interested in playing for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Williams has been suspended by the NFL for violating their Substance Abuse Policy and will miss the entire 2006 season.

[MORE: Ricky Williams | NFL Football at CBS SportsLine.com]
[MORE: Miami Dolphins, Ricky Williams, National Football League - CBS SportsLine.com]

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Myths …

We added a new page, called “MYTHS”, which can be accessed by clicking that button up there in the top menu just under our top masthead title.

We set-up this page to keep track of any popular “Myths” and/or “Facts” that might be of interest to those Battling Addictions, or are just looking for information about addiction. We hope to keep it up to date by adding sites and “myths” found during our blog postings .. and posting myths from other sites that we visit on our way!

http://addiction.battlingforhealth.com/myths/

There’s no reason to spread the myths .. Learn the Facts!

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Drug use among teens has dipped nationally in the United States but underage drinking persists, with jumps in California and Wisconsin, according to a study released Thursday.The report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, based on interviews of 135,500 people, is the first to document state-by-state drug and alcohol use from 2002 to 2004. More →

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