Addiction can be slippery.
As TL Savage writes in her book, The Other Betty, a tumultuous life, a tale of familial relationships, grief and losses, love and support, she also puts pen to paper about days of drug addiction, difficulties, and a journey toward recovery. It starts small, a way to cope with life’s challenges. Like dealing with trauma, it started simply as a way of releasing weekly stress, looking forward to the weekend nights to party and unwind.
But soon, it takes over, demanding more and more control until you start building everything around your acts of consumption.
Family, career, health – everything takes a backseat, and you find yourself spiraling down… it is a slope of addiction, and you are slipping, helpless in its face. This blog explores what it’s like to live with addiction, how it starts, the damage it causes, and the hope for recovery.
Start of an Addiction
Initial use of drugs often feels good, leading some to believe they can control it. However, drugs can quickly become addictive. Over time, pleasurable activities lose their appeal, and the drug is needed just to feel normal. This loss of control and the battle with overpowering cravings are signs of addiction. Even occasional use can be dangerous. An attempt to get high can lead to accidents or overdoses, impacting many lives.
Drugs often lure people in with a deceptive promise: a quick escape, a burst of euphoria. But this initial high comes at a great price. Over time, drug use weaves a web of destruction that engulfs every aspect of a person’s life.
A Heavy Cost – Your Relationships
Relationships suffer first. Addiction breeds isolation as lies and broken promises erode trust. Loved ones become collateral damage, their pleas for help lost in the haze of it all. Work and/or school become afterthoughts, replaced by the constant chase for the next high.
The physical effects are just as devastating. Drugs wreak havoc on the body, causing organ damage, sleep disturbances, and a weakened immune system. Mental clarity blurs, replaced by paranoia, anxiety, and depression. The once vibrant person becomes a shell, a prisoner to their own cravings.
Drugs are an attempt at grabbing something that never quite satisfies.
The cycle of addiction is relentless, promising relief but delivering only more pain. It’s a dark abyss that can seem inescapable, leaving a trail of broken dreams and shattered lives in its wake.
Recovery Is Possible
Developing an addiction to drugs isn’t a character flaw or a sign of weakness, and it takes more than willpower to overcome the problem. Abusing illegal or certain prescription drugs can create changes in the brain, but recovery is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless your situation seems or how many times you’ve tried and failed before. With the right treatment and support, change is always possible.
Rehab Centers and How They Offer Help
Drug rehab centers recognize that addiction doesn’t discriminate. It can grip anyone, regardless of background, race, age, sexual orientation, or faith. Trauma and shame often lie at the root of addiction, used as a way to cope, and rehab tackles these challenges head-on. Rehab counselors and therapists provide the tools and support you need to face these difficult emotions and build a healthier future.
Christian rehab centers incorporate a sense of community and support, where the fear of judgment slowly dissipates as people and counselors alike can share their difficult experiences. The first steps are always the hardest, but ample support is provided to shift the fixation to something more meaningful and fulfilling. Gradually, your mind and body adapt to it. This is indeed very challenging but fruitful.
Betty Jean, from TL Savage and BJ Walker’s book, recounts her own journey in rehab and her life before, during, and after drug addiction and how Christ and her community of family and friends were an immense source of comfort and support to her during a dark time like this. Stressing upon the duty one has towards one’s fellowmen, Betty Jean takes her recovery journey beyond herself and spreads the message and encouragement to her community. This means creating a safe space, free from judgment, where the people she reaches out to can share their struggles and emotions openly. It means being a listening ear, someone who understands the challenges of addiction. It means showing up, being reliable, and offering a helping hand when the path gets tough.
Read the compelling and encouraging story of Betty Jean in The Other Betty Jean: A Journey of Faith Resilience and Second Chances. Explore your own world anew with Betty as she navigates her life full of ups and downs with unwavering faith in Christ and His blessings and mercy upon the souls of the believers.
Order your copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other leading publishing platforms.
