Greetings village, I am a former addict who suffered through 20 years of addiction. My addiction started off with pain pills when I was young, then adderal, then crystal meth and GHB in my later years. I would use all day every day - I was a functioning addict to a degree but was deep in the rabbit hole where most of the time I saw no light what so ever.
Being an addict is a tough life, they say you can only recover once you love yourself enough to get better. I had trouble with this as I didn’t love myself enough, I felt shame in every single way for my addiction - I wasn’t worthy of love. It wasn’t until I met my now fiance who was somehow able to see the real me underneath all of my addictions. Her support, love, patience and understanding gave me the drive to give her the best version of myself.
For those with loved ones suffering from addiction, keep expressing and showing your love regardless of how difficult it may be at times. Remember, addiction is not a choice, it’s a life that is multiples tougher than others and the person with the addiction feels they are not worth any joy, any love or any happiness.
Having someone in my life love me who had the patience and understanding of what recovery looks like made all the difference, eventually I was able to get to a place where I loved myself enough to put my addiction behind me but without her love and voice guiding me through, it would have been challenging.
Tell your loved one you love them, while it might be hard to understand the mindset of an addict try and remind them that life will get easier. I think constant love and support for those struggling with addiction is a huge driver to recovery.
Remember, the road to recovery is not a straight line - you will have set backs but be patient and understanding and know there is a better life on the other side waiting for your loved one.
