A Letter To A Young Addict From His Mother

This letter is dedicated to families
who have suffered living
with an addict.
The unsung heroes who are never recognized,
whose voices are never heard.
Without these brave people who sacrifice their lives for their loves ones,
a lot of people with addictions would be dead.

It took me a long time to realize
that you can't cure an addict with logic, reason or love;
an addict has to surrender
and seek help for himself,
while you must look on helplessly,
while you see your loved one destroy their lives \
and those around them.

                        I Wonder.

I wonder what you think
when you see the pain and suffering
that your addiction is causing to your family;
do you ever think of stopping?

                        I Wonder.

I wonder what you think
when your family lies awake at night,
wondering if you are alive or dead,
or beaten up by a drug dealer that you owe a debt to;
would you stop? I wonder.

You must choose life, not death,
replace tears with laughter,
fear with joy, hopelessness with hope,
freedom instead of prison,
but only you, my son, can choose this action.

I pray that you choose a life of calm instead of chaos.

When you choose life,
your family will be here 
to rebuild your shattered life
and help you to build your dreams.

From Your Loving Mother