Drugs are in every walk of life – doctors, lawyers, preachers, the guy who works for IBM, teenagers on the street, teenagers in school. – Smokey Robinson
You can erase your addiction, but you probably need help. If you didn’t, you probably wouldn’t be addicted, right?
What does that mean?
This is the witness of human nature by a Rock and Roll, as well as Rhythm and Blues legend. He’s seen it all, the highs and the lows. He’s been there, done that, and now speaks to others about how to beat it.
It, of course, is drugs. Nearly every society has something that they aren’t supposed to inject, ingest, inhale, or otherwise enjoy. However, given how the human body and biochemistry work, some of these substances can be terribly damaging to us.
So many people I know keep saying “it couldn’t happen in my neighborhood” but it does. All the time. Sometimes it’s the kids, other times, it’s the parents. There are plenty of reasons (actually excuses) and often times the price is paid by the whole family.
This quote is a warning to all of us, to beware, and to understand that it can happen to anyone. When you least expect it, and where you least expect it. It is a human failing, and in many cases, the impact of the substance is far more than the person can handle on their own.
Why is getting help from others important?
No one has to go through any emergency on their own, with the exception of people so remote and isolated that there literally are no people near them. The rest of us, if we chose to suffer alone, we have only ourselves to blame.
Sometimes the isolation is to shield others from our failings, but that usually backfires, doesn’t it? Other times we lie to ourselves, and say we can stop anytime we want to, but we never really want to, right?
It can be a huge step, both to admit our failings to another, as well as to trust that other person to help you. It is doubly hard, because most people seem to wait until they are at their most frail, most vulnerable, before asking.
But asking is the first step into a new world. It broadens your possibilities, and can give you hope. If you can find a support group that specializes in your particular challenge, even better. The others can be strong when you are weak, and you can return the favor. That’s what friends are for.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Not everyone has a drug addiction. But humans are wired to find pleasure, and repeat it once they find something that really works for them. Anything taken to an excess for the purpose of pleasure at the expense of your health or safety is not a good thing.
It could be shopping, it could be playing games on a console or PC. It could be cruising the internet, or cruising seedier parts of town. Again, it isn’t the particular thing that is necessarily the problem, it’s the excess of it, at the expense of the other parts of your life.
I found out early that the only time I could reliably say that I had enough to drink was before the first one. After that, it could easily go down hill. I never became a classic alcoholic, but I learned that I had an addictive personality, and have stayed clear of temptation.
It helps that I’m a control freak, and the thought of losing control is about as abhorrent a thing of which I can imagine. That, and I let people know that if I get a drink, to keep an eye on me, and help me from getting into trouble. For me, that’s where help from others comes in.
For those who need more help, there are groups of people all over the world with experience in many of the addictions of humanity. More importantly, many of them have been there, and have found ways to help stay out of the worst of it.
But most importantly, they are willing to help others. Perhaps you are one of them. Perhaps you know someone who is. But the point is that these people and organizations exist, and they are there to provide help. The only question is are you willing to ask for it.
Yes, asking for help is a very humbling experience. Not everyone wants to admit to such a weakness. And in certain cultures, if you are doing something for which there is a taboo, it could be even more difficult. But deep down inside we have to understand. If we could beat it on our own, we would have done so already, right?
Sometimes we aren’t the one with the problem. Sometimes it’s a friend or family member. We might be tempted to try to cover for them, thinking we have helped them. But usually that makes things worse, doesn’t it? Help them help themselves by helping them get the help they need.
From: Twitter, @WhitmoreGuillor
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/smokeyrobi223450.html
Photo by Alan Cleaver
Happy Birthday to William “Smokey” Robinson, Jr., born 19 February, 1940.
