Dear individual,

You know who you are and I will not explicitly address you, which will then reveal your identity. Just know, that if I cannot verbally say what I want to you, I will write about it and hopefully you will listen to the words of an article that I have posted. Please understand that I truly and deeply care about you and your well-being. I do not want to have to hear the words come from a doctor that you died of overdose/ intoxication or that your liver or any other body part failed due to addiction/ dependency (I'm using vague terms like this also to not state directly who you are). You know what your substance of choice is, and I will not state it directly for the sake of your identity.

"We’re all addicts, trying to fill a void. Some of us are just better at hiding it, right?"
-Shameless

Some use food to dull the pain, others use risky activities to feel a legal high. There are many so called addictions and dependencies out there, but yours isn't healthy.

The usage of your substance, over time, wreaks havoc all over your body. With alcohol, your liver is greatly affected and you can possibly develop cirrhosis of the liver. With drugs, they change how the brain functions and does things. Overall, both alcohol and drugs kill brain cells. You can't regenerate neurons. Once they're gone, they're gone.

I want you to be present when I graduate from undergrad and go onto my Master's and my Ph.D. I want you to be alive to see me walk down the aisle and marry the love of my life. I want my future children to be able to meet such a caring and strong individual. I do not want to have to explain why you aren't here and that addiction/ dependency is a cruel and vial thing that controlled your life until it took yours. I want you to be alive to tell your own story, of how you overcame addiction and dependency.

Just know, that every time you try to stop, we are all rooting for you. Everyone believes in you and you are capable of fighting off the cruel and vial thing that is addiction and dependency. We're proud that you are aware it is an issue, and we're here if you need help in this process.

I love you so much. Please do not take offense to what I have written. I'm only doing this because I love and care about you deeply. I want you around much longer than what you will be if you keep using. Please consider this a wake-up call or a push of encouragement to limit your use or just plain quit.

I know you can do it. We all believe in you. I believe in you.

Love always,

Your loved one who cares