Addiction destroys innocence

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At birth, the Creator provided us with a covering that encases our bodies as a protection against all of the outside influences that we encounter in our lifetimes. We all enter this world with this thin covering of innocence that seals the pureness in which we were created. The purity and innocence of a newborn bais never again duplicated in our lifetime.

With time and life experiences, the covering is exposed to all of the impurities of living. Indulgence in the temptations and evil of the world eventually tear away at the covering, stripping the innocence of creation. The instincts that we are born with and the teachings of our parents are constantly being bombarded with temptation and many of us fall prey to worldly pleasures that are not conducive to living within the laws of our creation.

The cruelties of life are sometimes difficult to deal with and many resort to coping with these hard times using alcohol and drugs to ease the pains and dull the senses. Although this coping mechanism is temporarily effective, it very quickly breaks down the protective covering. In time, substance use controls your life and the behavior that accompanies the addiction is most undesirable.

The behavioral patterns of substance addicts are usually consistent in any environment. The substance becomes the center point of their lives and they will do anything to achieve that high or satisfy that internal craving. Addicts become trapped their addictions and many never successfully combat the disease and regain control of their lives. Some enter recovery programs and defeat the addiction and change their behavioral patterns to exclude the substance.

Recovery from an addictive substance is a systematic process to recover re-cover the body with that thin covering of innocence. Although it is virtually impossible to regain the purity of birth, it is possible to re-building the covering to a degree that the individual can better cope with the new realities they are faced with.

The analogy of recovery was related to me a dear friend who was in a program. Until I spoke with him at great lengths, I never understood addiction or even fathomed how controlling it was. My friend had used his addiction as a tool to cope with the misfortunes of his life. Alcohol and drugs gave him an excuse for his failures and shortfalls. The time I spent with him during his recovery period taught me bout addictive behavior and motivated a more empathetic attitude towards the victims of substance abuse.

Over an 11-month period I watched my friend go through a total transformation, and I believed that a new individual had emerged. I respected that individual. I respected the courage he had to fight his addiction and the strength derived from the battle. I believed that he had taken control of his life and had won over his addiction.

My friend fell off the wagon a few months ago and has had some difficult times because of it. But I believe he still maintained the desire and strength to again recover himself with dignity and respect, which he deserves. The bottom line is choice. We all choose our paths in life. His path has had a lot of twists and turns and perhaps he hasn't always made the right choices, but that's another story.

I salute the courage that he has shown and I believe that inside, the covering around his heart remains intact.