David tells the story of his increased dependency on drugs. He lost jobs, some cars and lots of money, “Eventually, the material things were gone, and I began chewing through the human beings around me…I promised myself that I would never lose a marriage because of drug abuse, but it happened.”
The worst, as he tells it, was his failure as a parent to his two daughters. He carried them one day over to his own parents’ home, completely broken. He was unable to care for them, and left them with their grandparents where they would be safe.
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His story is sadly all too common, with the easy availability of opioids and other illicit drugs today. Of course no one sets out to be an addict, but habits are formed quickly and money is spent even faster.
It is so easy to think, “That could never happen to ME. I will know it before I go too far, and I will be able to stop myself.”
And then one day maybe you have to face the truth that what once was a recreational indulgence has become an overpowering addiction that you cannot break free from.
Substance abuse is truly a kind of slavery. It can feel impossible to break the cycle, and is also extremely lonely.
Karidat is not unfamiliar with the landscape of substance abuse right here in our islands. The devastation it has wrought in many households is difficult to overstate. Kids, unsurprisingly, are the ones who suffer the most when their parents use. We do our best to accompany those on the road to recovering their lives and their dignity and those whose lives have been disrupted by an addicted relative or a close friend.
The stigma against “users” and “dealers” is alive and well, and coming close to addicts and former addicts is one way to receive a kind of “injection” of compassion for those who are entrapped in the cycles of using.
It is important to remember that no one deliberately sets out to become an addict; no one thinks they will ever be the ones losing property or friends or family over it. No one wants to ruin their livelihood or even their life over drugs. But it can happen all the same.
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‘David’ concludes his letter about his slow recovery from drug addiction, and the help he received, along the way, from Church organizations, with this observation:
“In today’s environment, drug addicts have become almost like lepers. It seems like it is an entirely appropriate place for the Church to serve. Helping people rebuild their lives sounds like noble work to me.”
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Please consider contributing to Karidat’s work with recovering addicts. Pray, donate, share your talents and professional skills if you can—offer what you can so that we are able to continue this outreach of healing.
(David’s letter can be read in its entirety within the USCCB’s Pastoral Message on Substance Abuse, at www.usccb.org)