Why I Write About Addiction

A huge part of my own personal recovery is due to coming out of the hiding in darkness. When you are wrapped in an addiction you cannot see outside your own actions, and live in secrecy, trying to hide your behaviors from others, thinking you are clever, when people will tell you later they watched it slowly unravel without knowing how to help us, or help change the behavior. An addiction is surrounded by lies, sneaking around, feeling alone, feeling trapped, and feeling alone.

To Help Others Feel Less Alone and Give Hope

I could not see outside of the darkness and could not see any reason to change, nor had anyone I could relate to. Sure, I went to IOP, went in and out of detox, and yet nothing people said helped connect me to my own personal story.

I had struggled with so many issues, from panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, self harm, alcohol abuse, eating disorders, and just felt like there was so much for me to conquer that at times it appeared overwhelming and impossible. That kind of thinking kept me from trying to recovery for a long long time. To share my story, I hope to show that it is possible to come out of the darkest corners, and live a full and happy life. I love to read addiction memoirs because it helps show how diverse and similar different paths in addiction can manifest.

To Understand More about Addiction

I write and share articles on addiction because I not only want to bring awareness to the prevalence and struggle of addiction, but mostly to share the science, and de-mystify the process of an addiction. I write and share in order to help answer the why's, why are some people more prone to an addiction, what are the difference in behaviors from one person to another in abuse versus dependence. I have a mind where I love to delve into the details, to answer and create dialogues to help de-stigmatize addiction. I felt so alone in my own struggle, and learning the science, reading the research, and sharing my story all helped me in my journey through recovery.

Healing is a Journey, Not an Event

Recovery is a journey, and not an end goal. I believe the journey through recovery, is about healing, and healing over time. I know in my own journey, I have had a lot of different areas of healing throughout my sobriety. I went from coming to a place of acceptance that I am prone to impulsive behavior and abuse of certain substances, to making amends to those around me who supported me and were torn down by my behaviors, to learning to forgive myself for the past and move forward without carrying any of it forward; letting go completely.

I hope with writing not only about my journey, but in listening to others journeys, that I can help people know that the journey is our own, and we move at our own pace, and where were are in that journey is ok! I hope to show that we do not need to compare ourselves to others, because the journey is one within ourselves. Healing is personal and poignant.

To Debunk Addictions

There is a lot of misinformation and stigma surrounding addictions in the media. I believe education is crucial; education around addictions, the science, the research, and the variety of treatment options, so that people will be better equipped when they personally face, or have a love one who is facing a struggle with an addiction.

It is important for me to call out when I see misinformation being spread in the media, and I hope in this coming year to be a critical media viewer and share and create dialogues here through this medium.

In the end, I write about addictions, not because I am an expert on all addictions, because I am far from that, I am only an expert on my own personal story. I write because I consider myself a student of the study of addictions. I read on a daily basis to help me create the dialogues and share as I learn.This is a field I am extremely passionate about, and the more I learn, the more I want to continue to learn. It is a vast field, and I am especially intrigued with the brain, and new studies looking at addiction, the pathways in the brain, and possible keys to help further unlock the mysteries of addiction.

To Bring Awareness to Co-Morbid Conditions with Addiction

This is probably one of my biggest passions in this life. To help share awareness of co-morbidities with addiction. Since I started sharing my personal story of addiction, eating disorders, mood disorders, and self harm, more and more people have come to me saying they too are struggling or have struggled. To give voice to this so people feel they can have a voice, and that recovery is possible is the biggest gift I have received in this journey!

I thank you all for reading Debunking Addiction and hope you feel this is a place where you can get information, hope, and share your voice on topics!

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