There comes a time in our lives when we simply have to face the cold hard facts. We cannot blame others for our mistakes, we can’t pretend that we’re something that we’re not and we can no longer hide from who we’ve become. Sometimes people will come to this realization when they become legal adults. Others experience their “ah ha” moment when they become parents. Somewhere along the way, something happens that causes a person to examine his life and then decide that he doesn’t like the direction that he’s headed. However, there seems to be way too many people who never reach this point during their lives, ever.
Everyone has something that they must overcome. It could be memories from an abusive childhood; a differing ability where some adjustments must be made in their life in order to exist in society; or perhaps a bad habit to be conquered that they have picked up along their sojourn. In addition to having obstacles to conquer, we are also all given certain talents, intelligence, abilities and other gifts to help us throughout our lives. These two opposing forces consisting of difficult challenges and innate competencies can be integrated to create either an average existence or an extraordinary mastery of humanities, music or other notable contributions. That difference is entirely left up to the individual.
It has been well documented that our DNA is altered by our ancestors; children of alcoholics tend to become alcoholics. Conversely, behaviors conquered by people can also break the cycle of their prosperity for future generations. Nevertheless, some habits are so powerfully cumbersome that the only way for an addict to overcome his addiction is to succumb to it. Unfortunately, in today’s society that has become the norm.
Every single day the news reports on yet another celebrity, another businessman, another person with a promising potential who has lost his way and suddenly his life. Those close to the person may have known of the man’s vice, may have tried to help him, or the person could have hidden his addiction so well that only a few folks knew about it. Our streets are occupied with people who have suffered the debilitating fate of addiction to the point of losing everything they once held near and dear to them as they become homeless and broken. Our prisons and rehab centers are overflowing with those who cannot overcome their addictions; as they repeat the same offenses time and again. But the reality is that more cemeteries are filled with bodies whose souls once held the greatest prospect of achieving excellence, yet died before they could attain it.
Unless and until someone acknowledges his inability to fight the demons of addiction, this perpetual cycle will forever be passed down through his posterity. Unfortunately many spend their lives in denial, thus aiding in the destruction of so many that may otherwise have had a chance at attaining their potential. It’s easier to place the blame onto others rather than to recognize their weakness and seek help. They quickly develop skills to conceal their powerlessness to addiction, becoming adept at pretending to be someone that wish to be, rather than the person they have become. It’s a futile game of Russian roulette as eventually the addiction will win out in the end. No matter how successful he may be, regardless of the wealth he may accumulate, despite the pleas of loved ones around him, addiction is no respecter of persons.
Dreams are ruined, fortunes are lost, and lives are cut short because of the demons of addiction. When someone passes away from their unshakable vice, always too soon, he takes with him unfinished business that may have had the power to alter the lives for the better of many. He takes away the hope and joy of those who loved him, but couldn’t save him. The addicts are remembered for what they could have been, rather than for who they were. I have yet to meet someone who intentionally sets out to become an addict. I have had the privilege of knowing a few who were able to break the chains of addiction and look back in horror at what might have been had they not sought treatment themselves. They realized that the power to heal was only within them, and no one else, no matter how much they tried, could help those who refused to see the need for help. Addiction is a lonely and desolate road to travel and those who have become an addict know that they have to walk it alone. The only thing keeping them from overcoming this demon is seeking treatment. But that must more be powerful than the craving of the addiction.
The irony is those who yield to addictions are usually the most talented, intelligent and creative souls who haven’t realized their value. Their self-esteem is eroded as they seek to fill an unquenchable void. The accolades of others cannot fill their vessel as they must discover their worth for themselves. When they cannot do so, too many perish taking with them all that they could have been. And with that, they take a piece of us with them.