
Originally Posted by
southernbelle
In my family, we don't worry about my brother overdosing on drugs (his drug of choice is marijuana) so much as we worry about him committing suicide because of the shame, frustration, and hopelessness he feels about his situation; he had a very bright future, every opportunity in the world, and he threw it all away for drugs. He was valedictorian and was voted "Most Likely to be a Millionaire" in high school, and image and success have always been extremely important to him. He's now at a stage where his friends are graduating from law school and medical school, getting married, etc... and he doesn't even have a college degree. He also has no friends because they all turned their backs on him when he started having serious problems, and he's too embarrassed by his situation to date. Even with the improvements he's made (he has been sober for a year, is working a part time job, and takes a course at the local community college), I worry every single day that he will commit suicide. Every time the phone rings, I worry that it's going to be that call.
As sick as it may sound, I have already started to mentally prepare myself for the possibility of that happening, and I know that if it did, I would not try to protect his reputation at the expense of possibly reaching even one person and sparing another family the devastating impact that addiction has on the addict himself and all of the people who love him. I think it's important to be honest about addiction and let people see the impact and the consequences that it has. Drug abuse is an entirely preventable thing, and I think not talking about it just exacerbates the problem; people see it as so shameful that they can't ask for help, even if they want it. I think it's important for people who are or are thinking about using drugs to see family members who love the addict despite the addiction and want to help - not who were so embarrassed by the addiction that they won't talk about it. That could make the difference between someone choosing to get help, or not to use in the first place, and in making the same choices and mistakes that ultimately destroyed the addict. Having a loved one who is an addict is a very difficult, stressful thing. It's always in the back of your mind, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
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