Addiction

Today's topic is about the illness of addiction. This is a social disease that transcends all racial, social and economic barriers. Most people who are suffering from the disease won't talk about it because they are still suffering. When one thinks about addiction the first thing that comes to mind is drugs and alcohol. People who have addicted personality traits can become addicted to a lot of things. They generally have type A personalities which makes you more vulnerable to this type of behavior. But you can become addicted to gambling, pornography, shopping and a host of other unmentionables. But for the purpose of our topic today I will be discussing addiction to drugs.

I am currently a recovering addict, I am not concerned about the social ramifications of revealing that in my blog. Whats more important to me is having the opportunity to give a testimony about my own experiences with the disease in hopes of helping someone else. It is estimated that every one in four Americans is suffering with the choice of using some kind of drug. Whether that be alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or something much harder like heroin, cocaine. The fact is that the United States economy generates approximately 14.4 billion dollars annually related to drug sales of some kind. That's alot of money folks. The cost of all of this illicit drug usage is not only visible in dollars, it also has very real costs in health related issues, incarceration rates and a host of other related social issues like prostitution, incest, communicable diseases and mental disabilities.

The disease of addiction is often times passed down from generation to generation through genetics, it can be passed on through observed behaviors which are learned and passed on. It is also directly related to poverty and being under educated since both of these put individuals at a disadvantage and makes them more vulnerable to the disease. The cost of all of this in quality of life and the human experience is staggering. It is a known fact the the world would be a much kinder and gentler place if people did not use drugs. For one thing God did not create us with a mind that requires drugs to function at its best. As a matter of fact our minds work at their best when we can think with a clear and unclouded mind. i would not be able to have the capacity to write this blog with any degree of clarity if I was still under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Today I thank God that he has kept me and afforded me the opportunity to come back from the brink of ruin and insanity, that can accompany the abuse of drugs and alcohol. As a matter of fact one of the driving forces behind my need to write this blog is that it is a therapeutic part of my recovery. It helps to keep me sober.

So to conclude addiction is very real problem for most Americans. As i mentioned earlier the amount of money Americans spend on illicit drugs is staggering. It is a symptom of a much larger problem. Most of us are having some type of identity problem. We don't really know who we are or more importantly who God created us to be. People whose lives mirror success on a high level are acutely aware of the danger of abusing drugs of any kind. It would be hard to look in side the interior of American families and find one whose solvency is not being threatened by a family member with a drug problem. This is unfortunate for our society as a whole.

To have any real chance at ridding our society of this scourge has to start with the individual. If we can educate our young and exemplify the position one should take on illegal drug use of any kind by what we do not what we say. I think we can have some success. The bible says to swear by neither heaven or earth, because heaven is gods throne and the earth is his footstool. Simply let your yes mean yes and your no to mean no. Be a man or woman of your word. Today August 24Th 2010 I say no to drugs and alcohol and hope and pray the same for all of America.