Humbled, addiction is an ongoing battle

I sat tonight in the back of a room watching someone close to me, whom will remain anonymous, reach a milestone that a lot of addicts never reach. I heard this person speak and really realized that addiction is not a choice, it’s a disease. Even though I have been there to support this person through the toughest of times it didn’t dawn on me until tonight how much support and determination is needed to make addiction a choice, to choose to fight, to choose life, and to choose sobriety from their drug of choice.

As I listened to the speakers tell their stories I felt a lot of emotions; empathy, compassion, sadness, but most of all I felted very humbled. You see, tonight I also realized that those without addiction take for granted the ability to get up everyday and be able to face the heavy weight of the world ( that we all wear on our shoulders) and move through the day without the need to lean on a drug ( including alcohol) to forge through and make it out the other side. Tonight I felt thankful to be able to handle whatever life throws me and be able to wake up the next morning without the regret on how I handled that heavy load I ( we) carry.

I listened to these stories and felt grateful for being apart of this person journey and honoured for them trusting me enough to help them through their darkest time. Because an addict doesn’t handle everyday problems like you and me, an addict turns to a drug of choice to numb the pain and escape- they give in every day to escape life’s challenges and they’ll do anything to get what helps them to cope. I saw clearly tonight that addiction is a disease, it’s not a choice. And those that are brave enough to face the up hill battle on the road to recovery are the strongest people any of us could know. The choice is to fight for life but the battle just begins at that moment. Because once that battle begins it’s about winning the war against addiction.

Humbled is how I feel going to bed tonight.

Tonight I will pray to give strength to anyone battling addiction. You are brave. You are strong.

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