When a person becomes addicted to drugs, it engulfs their life. Over time, they lose everything they once had; family, friends, jobs, goals, potential. All of that gets flushed right down the toilet.

Intervene now before it's too late.

It's not a matter of taking their drugs and flushing it down the toilet

It's not a matter of telling that person that drugs are bad and hoping they will stop.

It is a matter of life and death.

You can either take matters into your own hands and fix it or just plan their funeral now. I know that sounds so morbid, but drug overdoses have increased over the years. According to the CDC, in 2018 there were almost 70,000 deaths due to drug overdoses. That's a 34% increase in drug overdoses from 2015.

The addict themselves is at blame for their addiction. I'm not saying they aren't. What I am saying is if you are 100% aware of someone close to you that is addicted to drugs and you decide to do nothing about it, then you are an enabler.

If you let them do drugs at your house, you are an enabler. If you try to help them hide their drugs, you are an enabler. If you try and cover up for them so that they don't get in trouble at school or at work, you are an enabler.

No one is saying it will be easy because it's not. Addictions don't just go away though. They don't just magically disappear. You can't pray for that person to just stop one day. You can't just hope for change.

With drug addictions, you need to take action and make the change happen.

Standing by and waiting for them to do something about their own addiction is just wasting precious time. Most of the time these days, people don't know exactly what kind of drugs they are taking. They could be taking a mixture of drugs that are doing irreparable damage. Not only to their bodies but to their life as a whole.

Of course, try to talk to them and see if they are willing to go to therapy and/or rehab. Most people cannot just quit. It might not even be the smartest option to tell someone to just go cold turkey once their body has become so dependent on that drug. They need outside help. Help from people who are trained to guide addicts through a process that not only makes them stop doing drugs but talks to them about how to deal with whatever stress or triggers that causes them to do drugs in the first place.

It is very unlikely for you to go to that person and tell them to stop and they will listen. It will get to a point, where they might be able to be clean for a day or maybe even a week, but it is called an addiction for a reason. Without outside help, they don't know how to properly stop. Stopping for a few days and then continuing again does no good. It just means you have to start from square one again.

Addiction is not something that can be fixed in one day, one week, or even one month. It's a constant process that takes years to fully recover. By not helping them out now, you're just prolonging the process of getting help or else the worst possible scenario will happen.

Everyone's afraid to talk about death, but that's what needs to be discussed. There's no easy way to say this. If you don't help that person or that person doesn't find help themself, they won't be around for much longer.

There is always a way to get help. There are people you can call for assistance and places you can go that will make sure that person gets clean.

If you make the choice to watch and stay silent, then don't be surprised by the results in the end which only leads to more guilt, sadness and emptiness.

You can't keep living a life and pretending like their addiction does not exist.

Addiction doesn't just affect the addict; it affects everyone in that person's life. Addiction can bring so much pain, sadness, abuse and tragedy into the lives of others.

So don't just help them out because they need help. Help them out so that you can start living your life again. A life where you don't have to worry if that person is going to overdose one day. A life without extra stress and pain.

Addiction is painful to watch, especially when it is someone you care deeply about. With that being said, you have to remind yourself every day that if you do not help guide that person towards rehab/therapy, then it isn't a matter of IF they will overdose, it's a matter of WHEN.

That thought alone should scare you enough to get up and do something. It's going to be challenging and hard, but you'll look back one day and thank god that you intervened and did something. That person is going to thank you one day even if they can't see it yet. When that person's life does a complete flip, they'll be so grateful for what you did to them.

Drugs kill. It's plain and simple. Drugs first kill off any life the addict once had. It will ruin their relationships with family and friends, it will get them kicked out of school or fired from work, and it will isolate them from the rest of the world. It will kill any potential they once had in life to be successful.

I'm not sure what you are waiting around for. Are you waiting for a sign? Are you hoping it will be fixed on its own? Are you ignoring it altogether and don't believe it is a problem?

Take this as your sign then. Do something now before it's too late. You'll have to live with this heavy guilt for the rest of your life and that will be pain that can never heal. You'll never forgive yourself.

Now is the time to do something.