The Embrace of Drugs

Remember that when a man gets into drugs in a serious way, he embraces a new way of life. It isn’t just the drug taking that makes him different. A lot of things change. if he is in school, his academics will suffer, if he does not drop out altogether. He is hanging out with friends who, like him, are using drugs and are into a similar lifestyle
Remember that drug taking is illegal and punishable by law. People who use drugs are hiding from the cops, from their families and form authority figures who might report on them. In avoiding detection, addicts resort to every means to keep their activities from prying eyes. They lie a lot about their whereabouts, their intentions, friends etc. They will easily get into all kinds of dishonesty. Soon, their conscience dies and they no longer feel remorse for the damage they cause. And this dulling of the conscience allows them to get into all sorts of activities that are self-destructive.
It also creates in the addict an insensitive heart. Though he disrupts the family, he doesn’t seem to care if he hurts the ones who love him most. In short, his addiction is built around a whole new lifestyle that becomes strongly embedded in his daily life.
straight people have the mistaken belief that addicts want to change, but cannot. The truth is they rarely want to change even if they say they do. We straights find it hard to believe that, considering all the trouble and misery that comes with the lifestyle, addicts would not want a new, less self-destructive way of life, but they don’t. The very nature of their addiction, the highs that their drugs give them, and the forbidden pleasures they derive from the activities associated with drug user; all conspire against any sustained desire to change.
This is why addicts need to be forced into rehab. They don’t want to go in of their own accord because that would mean an end to their drugs, alcohol, and the pursuit of pleasure. It means getting serious about changing and putting the old life behind them and taking on a new drug-free and law-abiding lifestyle.
Families need to understand this if they are to truly help their loved ones with an addiction problem. They need to understand that drug addiction is a serious matter that will not go away by preaching and threatening. When it is clear that drugs are a problem, it is time to stop talking and take a firm course of action.