You: "First, you walk over to the plane."
Snail: "What's walk?"
You: "Never-mind."
Having an addiction is like caring for a child (a demanding, sickly child that requires a lot of attention). It takes all of the addict’s time, emotion, and money. Simply putting down the bottle and walking away is as easy as turning your back on your invalid child. Not easy to do, no matter how much better you know your life will be without it.
Having an addiction is like caring for a child (a demanding, sickly child that requires a lot of attention). It takes all of the addict’s time, emotion, and money. Simply putting down the bottle and walking away is as easy as turning your back on your invalid child. Not easy to do, no matter how much better you know your life will be without it.
Alcohol gives us drunks a euphoric feeling that “normies” (non-addicts/normal people) don't experience. I know my brain works differently from normies when it comes to mind-altering substances. Here’s why: I love the buzz. When I say “love”, I mean looooove. After having a couple of drinks, a normie will say, “Gee, I’d better stop. I’m starting to feel it.” WHAT? Feeling it is the whole point of doing it – this is not when you stop, this is when you kick it into second gear and step on the gas!
It becomes an all-consuming pursuit that demands every ounce of our waking day.
I was both a drinker and a smoker. Yeah, yeah … disgusting habit. “Why don’t you just quit?” Sheesh, if I had a nickel … Let me clue you normies in on a little secret: Telling an addict to ‘just quit’ is like watching someone drown and yelling, “Hey! Just swim!”
It is possible, but not a “just” situation. If it were that easy, there would be no such thing as rehabs or lifeguards.
Both an addict and a drowning victim are in a situation that they cannot escape under their own steam – they need a helping hand. The difference is, once rescued, a drowning victim can learn to swim and go safely back into the water. Not so for an addict. Though some will try in vain, the addict will never achieve a safe return to the water without risking certain death.
To quote Stephen King, “Telling an alcoholic to control his drinking is like telling a guy suffering the world’s most cataclysmic case of diarrhea to control his sh**ting.” (pardon the language … it’s a “quote.”)
It becomes an all-consuming pursuit that demands every ounce of our waking day.
I was both a drinker and a smoker. Yeah, yeah … disgusting habit. “Why don’t you just quit?” Sheesh, if I had a nickel … Let me clue you normies in on a little secret: Telling an addict to ‘just quit’ is like watching someone drown and yelling, “Hey! Just swim!”
It is possible, but not a “just” situation. If it were that easy, there would be no such thing as rehabs or lifeguards.
Both an addict and a drowning victim are in a situation that they cannot escape under their own steam – they need a helping hand. The difference is, once rescued, a drowning victim can learn to swim and go safely back into the water. Not so for an addict. Though some will try in vain, the addict will never achieve a safe return to the water without risking certain death.
To quote Stephen King, “Telling an alcoholic to control his drinking is like telling a guy suffering the world’s most cataclysmic case of diarrhea to control his sh**ting.” (pardon the language … it’s a “quote.”)
Great writing, Guy. Needs to be published once you have enough chapters. It's creative and a unique twist, different from anything out there. Educational for the "Normies" and enlightening for the addict.
ReplyDeleteJoe Noland (wrote this under anonymous because I can't figure out how to work the profile thing).
Thanks, Pop. That's the idea. I've been working on these writings for awhile - just now formulating them into a cohesive series. This blog is serving as a sort of "proving ground" for the concept.
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