Addiction: Drug Rehabilitation Facts

Question: Have you ever lost someone close to you to a drug addiction?

(Posted by: Nikon f5 on 2010-02-28 01:41:17)

Friends or family? So tragic, such a loss, so unnecessary, such a waste. I always wonder if given a little more time, they may have regained the control and power. Far from being down and out incompetents, the ones I knew were, charismatic, caring, wonderfully creative and very likable. Bonus question: Why are so many creative people drawn to drugs? Is it because they search for new things to inspire fresh creation? Does the creativity drive/ create the propensity toward experimentation and potential addiction? (((Corrupted not dead))), (((MezmerizinG MasterMinD))) and (((Smooth Raven))). Thank you, hope your day has some beauty in it :- ) Edit: (((...... )))Your answer was wonderful, more than I hoped for and I think you are very generous to share your experience. As for the remark about being a great sister, you were, you're only human and sometimes being too forgiving, understanding and easy going doesn't help, alas it failed, but usually tough love works better. I really feel for you, so much loss, you must somtimes feel angry at the injustice of having more than your fair share. But these things teach us to grow and make us even more compassionate.

Posted by: Erin on 2010-02-28, 01:44:49

Not lost as in died. They became a different person though,

Posted by: tweety on 2010-02-28, 01:45:09

My father to cocain i still to this day despise him

Posted by: Purple Agent Gibbs on 2010-02-28, 01:45:11

Yes, not as in they died, I have just lost them emotionally because they changed so much and refused to do anything about their problems. It was my mother and she has basically disowned me now, except for a lousy child support payment once a month (which I'm sure she's doing just to make a point against my dad). BQ: I don't really know.

Posted by: Jenny K on 2010-02-28, 01:46:48

My grandfather ODed on painkillers my friend ODed on heroine they were both very friendly outgoing people.

Posted by: CorruptedSpirit, not dead yet... on 2010-02-28, 01:46:59

Yes, one of my good friends was killed in a car wreck caused by driving while f*cked up BQ - your last two speculations answered this... (((Nikon))) - nice to see you changed your avatar back ;-)

Posted by: A Puff of Air on 2010-02-28, 01:47:17

Those kinds of people can often see the world as it is. They don't wish too feel it. They see it clearly enough, that all this escapism, the internet, radio, books, movies, etc, etc-isn't enough. They need a way out, of seeing the world for what it is. Drugs set them free, at least for a little while. Then they get crushed. I thought about using them, for reasons of instant pleasure, not feeling and seeing the world anymore. But I didn't, because I've seen that the people that don't feel become what they hate.

Posted by: MezmerizinG MasterMinD on 2010-02-28, 01:47:23

Almost. My elder sister's soulmate, a person I really admire and respect, had to deal with cocaine addiction for a long time. But the remarkable thing is that he pulled away from his addiction without any rehabilitation. He now studies in Singapore, and is doing very well. I believe most people are drawn to drugs when they are forced to deal with too many crap and disappointments in life. Drugs promises to take you to a different world, a world of dreams where nothing feels real and your head feels light and there's almost no room for a rational thought process, which helps you forget all about your troubles for the time being. That is what drew him to cocaine. The opportunity to forget a torturous life for the time being. That is what drove me to weed as well. Though I never did hard drugs, and never will. (((Nikon))) Yay, you changed your avatar pic ;)

Posted by: The Blob on 2010-02-28, 01:48:23

Answer to first question: Miraculously, no. Answer to second question: For the most part, the whole biology/ personality goes together. I'm not saying every artist is an addict and I'm not saying every addict is an artist, but typically, I find they go hand-in-hand, especially if there was severe childhood trauma involved. Drugs and art are both ways to escape the pain.

Posted by: Smooth Raven Kitty on 2010-02-28, 01:51:17

No All tho i know of people who did BQ: I feel, some creative and otherwise educated and intelligent people just want to *try* Unfortunately, addiction develops almost immediately and it is really hard for many, to find the guts and quit

Posted by: MidNight on 2010-02-28, 01:58:08

Yes a good friend of mine, I have noticed that allot of people with good intelligence and creativity in general often lack common sense and self control, and allot of people with common sense and self control are very ordinary or even a little slow of wit. I think we all have strengths and weaknesses, some people are lucky enough to have wisdom and intelligence, but it seems like most have one or the other. and I would say yes to your last two questions, that is correct and part of the equation

Posted by: F8alist on 2010-02-28, 02:08:54

Creation and destruction are closely related when you think about it. Michelangelo, for example, could not have created the statue of David without destroying the natural contours of the stone. Van Gogh could not have painted "Starry Night " without destroying the pristine whiteness of the canvass. The creative/ ideative process can often also be very chaotic. Artists who live with these forces in their lives can at times be seduced and consumed by them. I lost a wife and three children for my addictions. Later, I lost a fiancee and close friend to addictions of their own. Sometimes drugs and alcohol can take you where you think you might want to go. Sometimes, for some of us, they are places to go when there seems there is no place left.

Posted by: Ambivalent LAUreate on 2010-02-28, 03:07:09

I haven't, but I've worked with several addicts - alcohol and heroin - in my practice as a psychotherapist. In one case, the person concerned had stopped the heroin some years before but was still deeply troubled; in another, the person had stopped the heroin and the later methadone but was seriously alcoholic and came close to killing themselves while driving drunk. I'm relieved to say they've now stopped drinking. I agree, it is tragic to see people's lives ruined or lost through addiction. And I agree, the addicts I've know (professionally and personally) have been charismatic and/ or highly creative people. I think the reason for the connection is that the deeply devastating pain these people feel - usually from serious difficulties in their childhood and I don't mean necessarily 'obvious' things like abuse or neglect - has spurred their creativity but because they haven't found a way to manage the overwhelming feelings, they use a drug to numb themselves and make life bearable. There are plenty of creative people who are not addicts - and I think they're the ones who've been more able to make sense of their experience and pain, who've somehow had the conceptual framework or emotional intelligence or whatever you want to call it. They've been lucky, having some context in their lives where they learned something of this. I have been really surprised by how unable the addicts I've worked with have been to express their feelings or even know about what's going on inside them. They are often incredibly engaging people, lively, intelligent - and I've assumed they could think metaphorically, identify their feelings etc and have been amazed - even shocked - to realise how unable they are to reflect on feeling and 'image' it. That's why I think long-term psychotherapy really IS the way to enable addicts to find a way out of their prison, but of course, they have to choose to engage with the process and that can be hard because it's painful, and not all therapists are great at helping people to manage all of that.

Posted by: frou frou on 2010-02-28, 04:05:32

Drugs no alcholol, it played a part usually creativity is a companion to depression, its the way of if sorry to har of your losses nikon

Posted by: The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! on 2010-02-28, 04:21:55

I had an uncle whose death was directly related to his alcoholism. I've had more friends whom I've just lost track of because of their drug habits. My adopted little sister got into crank and heroin really heavy, and felt guilty about it so she couldn't face me. She knew I loved her, but she also knew that I disapproved of hard drugs. I have another friend that I rarely talk to, because he's always stoned; it really sucks because he's so smart, funny and just all-around likable, but the pot has turned him into someone I don't know anymore. Those are just two of many. I've lost friends through more suicide and car accidents than anything else. I had one friend who was killed by a drunk driver. I don't know why creative people are drawn to drugs. I know I smoked pot because I knew that as a writer, I could never effectively write about it without having been there. I also tried many other drugs, so that I'd know how to write about them. I think that many creative people feel that drugs give them a voice, or enhance their voice.

Posted by: Shaman Val on 2010-02-28, 04:42:40

Yes a close family member had arthritis and he poisoned himself to death by taking too many paracetamols. It destroyed his liver and kidneys. But it was a long term abuse thing. After a while he could not remember if he'd taken any, so took another dose, and another. Not good. There are more death caused by inappropriate use of prescribed drugs than illegal ones. By far. Practicing Shaman... quantum physics rocks.

Posted by: ...... on 2010-02-28, 06:53:10

Indeed I have. I lost two of my brothers to drugs. And I think you're right about most of them not being down-and-out losers. The first time, it was my baby brother, Michael, in 2002. He was a very handsome and solidly built blonde, had true charisma, and was strong and tough. Nobody but nobody fcuked with Michael. But, he was also a product of our mother's abusive ways and what some might call blue-collar dysfunction - and a nasty thing that happened to our family in '89. He was still so young when that happened. But he definitely had his "dark side " before that. He supported his wife and kids by dealing drugs, and eventually started to use them. It's a long and painful story, but he was sober the last time I ever talked to him, and we got into a stupid, stupid argument. The next thing I knew, he was gone. I hadn't even known that he'd 'picked up' again. He was as smart as anyone, but was taken down by that garbage as easily as anyone else is. Heroin took him away from me. On the third day after he'd begun to use again. The second time was my older brother, Darryl, in 2008. Again, a very handsome blonde. And well above-average intelligence. But Dee was a lover, not a fighter like my other brothers. He was the only one of my brothers who was like that, yet the only one I remember sticking up for me on the playground. He was my favorite brother and I loved him like crazy. They skipped him ahead in school a few grades because he learned really fast and would get bored and would clown around and disrupt the whole class lol. He had the most wonderful sense of humor. He lost the only girl he'd ever loved because he had issues with jealousy and possessiveness, and was content to live with and look out for my widowed mother and keep his girlfriends at arm's length. He'd never wanted kids and no girl ever measured up to his Debbie, anyway. Anyhow, he liked to get high on the weekends, I guess. His last night, a Friday, he bought some coke from a neighbor and it was apparently very strong. Whatever it did to him, my sister found him unresponsive on his bed. When they got him to the hospital, they said that he'd been choking on his own vomit. And he was supposedly brain-dead. And I saw him like that. I'll never forget seeing my Darryl's eyes darting around aimlessly as they waited for him to die. It was fcuking torture and I had to leave. I wasn't even strong enough to stay with him 'til the end. Great sister, huh? So, I think you're right about most of them not being complete losers, but I don't know about the whole given the time to regain control and power thing. A lot depends on the drug of choice, from what I know. I think most heroin addicts will continue to use as much as they can until they die, and I think most coke addicts eventually get tired of it. Maybe they can't keep up with the crazy cokehead stuff anymore? If they live long enough to recover, they've been lucky and will probably be okay. I think this based on my own personal experience with the tons of addicts I've known. I have a sister in a halfway house right now because she just keeps going back to heroin. She's an absolute idiot. Gets sober for a year or two, and then starts shooting up again. A real fcuking moron, and part of me truly hates her for what I know she's going to put us through eventually. I've never seen coke do that, but I've seen heroin do it over and over and over again. Your bonus question, I'm not sure what I think about that. I do think there's some truth to what another answerer said about these people being able to see the world for what it is. I remember having a conversation about that very subject with Michael during one of his sober periods. I'm not sure this is the kind of information or answer you wanted, but it is what it is. *hugs* Edit: (((Nikonf5)))) I think I'll be angry if and when I find my babies in India or Africa suffering from leprosy or malaria and living in a hut. Believe you me, I've learned very well to appreciate and celebrate what I have. And I do have a lot :P I'm gonna have to email you one of these days :)