Addiction Couldn't Possibly Happen to You, Right?

You smirk as you read the title to this page. You are thinking My goodness this lady will talk about anything just to post something. I'm not a dirty drug addict. No way. Not me.

As much as I hate to bust the window out of your beautiful glass house, yes. I'm talking to you.

The magnificently humble emptying of Maggie's soul recently, inspired me to blog about addiction myself. Not only that, but talk about it on my Facebook fan page as well.

I know it isn't something that is frequently talked about on the 'mom blogger' side of the blogosphere, but it should be. I know that many of us feel as though talking about drugs and addictions and admitting that we are not perfect is bad, but really it's not. We are human. That is all. We are humans up against an unimaginably strong monster.

Each time you or your child step out of your front door that monster is lurking nearby. It is a monster that hides in the bushes outside of your home. It hides in your children's locker at school. It hides at your sister's house. Even at your job. It is there. It is always there. This monster is capable of standing right in front of your face for years at a time, without you ever even knowing it is there.

What monster is this cunning and powerful? Addiction/Alcoholism.

Addiction has become an epidemic not only in America, but all over the world. This little devil waits and watches for us, only to grab us by our ankles as we walk by, with a grip so tight that we may never escape. Many never do. It will hold onto us until every last little strand of dignity and hope is drained from our body, and leave us there lifeless, scarred, and bruised (not to mention embarrassed).

Sure, there are blogs that are dedicated primarily to the addict or the addict's family, but other than that, there's nothing out there for us. Especially not in our beloved "mom blogger community." It is something that we are scared to talk about, especially as parents. Do you have teenage children? The next time you watch one of them walk by you, imagine the unspeakable pain your heart would feel if you knew that they, too, were trapped. It can and does happen, daily. Parents don't always know about it until it's too late.

That is why it is important for us, as parents, to learn as much as we can about addiction. When it comes to this disease, knowledge most definitely is power. Statistics show that by the age of eighteen 12% of teens are illicit drug users, and approximately 27 million adults in the United States are drug users or alcoholics. * So, how does this NOT effect you? It does, you just may not know it yet.

In my life addiction has played a very large role. I have had friends, boyfriends, and family members who were addicts/alcoholics. I have two sons who have a genetic predisposition to become future addicts/alcoholics. I have a few experiences of my own that I hope I will feel ready to share here with you in time, as well.

I feel it is necessary to dedicate a corner of my blog to this disease, this monster. My hope is that we can all come together, share our stories, and learn from one another. My hope is that, together, we can beat this monster so that our children may not suffer. My hope is just that; hope. For our children, our families, our future. We can take the power away from the beast, but we have to come together in order to do so.

I am going to use this part of my blog to focus on your stories. If you would like to share your addiction or recovery story, then please e-mail it to me at mama2boys2010 (at) live (dot) com. I will share them here, anonymously (unless otherwise advised), so that we may learn from them. I will also post links to addiction related events or other sites.

Addiction is a beast. A huge, scary, strong beast. But, together we are much too big and way too strong for this beast to conquer.

When you're strong enough, step inside.