Drug counselor: Individuals are more than ‘addicts’
Editor’s note: This is a part of occasional columns on the opioid epidemic from local experts who work in the field of addiction.
When I was presented with the opportunity to be a contributing columnist for the Observer-Reporter, I paused and reflected on this privilege – the privilege to be a voice for those who otherwise may not be heard.
As far back as I can recall, and without labeling it or knowing it, I was an advocate. This opportunity reinforced my belief.
Words matter and I shall not take this privilege lightly.
In preparing, the first thoughts that came to mind were the significant effects of addiction that truly resonate with me: How the addiction starts without any warning, the feeling of powerlessness, the effect within the family, the feelings of shame and embarrassment, the deep, dark gut-wrenching pain of the loss of a loved one.
My daily ritual inspired the focus of this column.
Every morning, as I read through the paper and turn the page to the obituaries, I pause. Slowly and methodically, I read each name and look at each face. I say a small prayer for their eternal peace. While I don’t diminish the heartache individuals feel with the loss of a loved one, my head drops a bit and my heart sinks when I read the name and look at the face of the person who has lost their life to addiction.
As I wrote, I glanced up at the calendar, noting we are halfway through the month. My thoughts shift to a 3×5 index card with the names of five individuals whom I knew that lost their battle to addiction since the New Year began. So I pause, sit quietly and reflect on each of them. I see their smile. I know their heart. I understand their struggle. I vision the glimmer of hope in their eyes.
My head drops and my heart sinks.
Regardless of your viewpoint of addiction, these individuals and the more than 200,000 we have lost since 2014 were someone’s child, someone’s parent, someone’s brother or sister, someone’s nephew or niece, someone’s grandchild, someone’s friend. They were more than just someone who got caught up in addiction; they were someone.
So, we should pause.
In future columns, it is my hope to be able to present the perspectives of those who have been embattled by addiction – the individual and the family – and talk about the onset, the feelings of shame, the feelings of powerlessness, the fear, the broken relationships, the process of self-forgiveness or lack thereof, the process of healing, the recovery, the self-love and the hope.
Theresa M. Cypher is a licensed professional counselor and certified advanced alcohol & drug counselor