This blog is for all the addicts and recovering addicts and everyone who loves an addict and wants to help; or simply to those who would seek a better understanding of what it really is to suffer from addiction. I was a heroin addict for a long time and I have been clean now going on five years. I want to share what that journey has been like for me in the hopes that my reflections may help others with their journey down a similar path.
It is my hope to clarify some misconceptions our society holds in regards to addicts. I want to dispel many myths and rumors which support the belief that all addicts are unintelligent, lazy, morally weak people who think only about themselves. In fact, addicts cross all boundaries of race, gender, age, and level of education to name just a few. There are so many reasons why people become addicted, nothing is black and white in regards to addiction anymore. A substantial number of medical experts regard addiction as a disease not unlike diabetes or cancer and that is a belief which seems to be more and more acceptable to the medical community.
However, there are still millions of people out there who would imprison us for our disease rather than seek a path towards rehabilitation for drug offenders. I want to address methadone as a treatment for addiction because I believe it is equally misunderstood. People seeking recovery through methadone maintenance are routinely discriminated against at NA or AA meetings because we are not considered clean. It is difficult to find a doctor who does not have a bias against methadone patients and it can be difficult to find a job or even receive school loans from the feds. Please stay tuned to discuss all these topics and more. Stay Clean!!!
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