Addiction Is Messy | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Addiction Is Messy

How addiction affects others

40
Addiction Is Messy
ScienceNews

“My first husband was my great love. I was addicted to him; he was addicted to something else. Do yourself a favor, honey: Don’t marry an alcoholic.” Addiction is messy. Loving someone with an addiction is even messier. When you have an addiction, you lose sight of everything else. Nothing is more important than that which you’re addicted to, whether it be alcohol, drugs, sex, ect. You have a one-track mind set for self-destruction. When you love someone with an addiction, no one is more important than that person. You are constantly putting them first, worrying for their health, trying to take care of them - even before yourself. You romanticize them, you romanticize the problem. The person you love transforms into a liable, high risk investment. But, with high risk comes high reward, right? This can become as destructive as the addiction you’re trying to curb. It can be physically and emotionally draining to pour yourself so vivaciously into a person and not feel the favor being returned.

I used to think that there was no such thing as being too kind, especially in regards to a loved one. But the more I give, the more I realize that if I’m too generous to others I’m not generous enough to myself. You have to be selfish sometimes in life. You have to be selfish to guarantee your own health and well-being. You have to be selfish to guarantee that you don’t find your identity in someone else. This doesn’t justify being rude or callous; it is simply saying that at some point it is smarter to walk away than stay and try to help.

But at what point is it smarter to walk away? This is perhaps the trickiest part to pinpoint. It always feels like there is something else you can do, one more effort you can make. But there comes a definitive point in addiction where the dependency has completely consumed an individual; who they once were is lost and buried in their addiction. They become unresponsive to your efforts, the lows grow more frequent than the highs. At this point the only person you can save is yourself.

It’s hard to standby and watch the person you love dissolve into nothing more than a dependency. But at the end of the day, you have to realize you can’t save everybody. It’s not your responsibility to save everybody. This comes back to the principle of detachment with love. Detachment with love means caring enough about others to allow them to learn from their mistakes. It also means being responsible for our own welfare. Because an individual cannot learn from their mistakes or overcome an obstacle if they are being overprotected.

At the end of the day, you can still love the person, but you can hate the disease. And you have to be able to recognize the point in which the person becomes so overcome by their disease they become it. And at this point, you have to realize who you can save, and who you cannot. At this point, the only person you can save is yourself.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

178299
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

5499
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

451336
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

22670
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments