SHARE THIS SHOW:
RELATED CONVERSATIONS:
RECENTLY ON TOL:
TOL Our Town
- A tumblr site dedicated to the people and places that make up Oregon and Southwest Washington.
TAGS:
Rebroadcast: As We Are - Addicted
In this special rebroadcast of one of our As We Are shows you'll hear from three people who have dealt with addiction. Whether perscription drugs or gambling, many of the issues are the same. How do you break the habit?
If you have gone through a recovery program for alcoholism, you've lived with a drug addict, or you know someone who lost all their money to gambling, we want to hear from you. Have you struggled with an addiction?
-
Continued....
I stayed clean for a little over a year. I met up with an old friend and relapsed. I got pregnant again and used for six months of my pregnancy. I have had a total of four children, three of them were drug tested at birth. I was addicted to meth, coke, alcohol, and pot. There have been many times I have come in contact with these things and it's hard still.
-
Continued again....
I know to this day that I have an addictive personality, and I am very cautious of what I get into. I have many friends that like to play poker, and I have chosen not to learn. I haev a fear that gambling will suck me in and I will have found a legal addiction.
-
My daughter who is 25 yrs old has been involved with drugs since she was 13. Our family has been taken over by her addiction. It went from marijuana to heroin and pills. She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy 3 yrs ago who I am now his foster mother and grandmother, the lord was good to us that he was not born with any addiction. I turned her into DHS 2 years ago because of her not being able to take care of him and it has been a ride working with DHS. She has attended a Methadone clinic for 4 yrs, which to me feels like a joke. From the clinic she has learned how to shoplift with all the tricks, sells her merchandise to fellow clinic people and uses harder drugs then when she started at the clinic. She gives UA's at the clinic and none have been clean so what good is the clinic if she uses and takes Methadone? She is not the only client there that has dirty UA's and there is no end to treatment. She lies, steals, has pawned my belongings, has a lottery addiction and doesn't seem to want to get better. She may lose her son soon but the addictions are to strong and she won't get help. I feel like I am on a merry-go-round and can't catch the brass ring to get off. HELP!!
-
I live in downtown Eugene. One month ago I was attacked by a 20 yr. old woman, behind my apt. bldg., who was on meth and drunk. I am 59. She beat me so bad, I had to go to the emergency room and had a compression fracture in a vertebrae. I don't know how I didn't get a concussion, because she beat my skull on the cement, punched my face, and kicked me with her boots, many times. This started because I didn't have a cigarette. When the police caught her a block away, it took five of them to take her down, with a taser. It's a Measure ll - 5 yrs., 10 mos. She told me as she ran off that if she ever saw me again she'd kill me.
I cannot even be angry toward a person like this. She needs to be in the system and she needs help so very bad. I just hope she can find her way to turn around from this drug that destroys people so completely.
Thanks,
CBlint
-
Imagine being addicted to reading higher educational books - That was me, self starting about age 8, possibly caused by good parenting [addicted to never watching TV for nearly 40 years now], instead producing great art that inspires others, communicating well with and respecting others, taking proper care of a home that you designed and built yourself, educating others, improving the community and participating with providing for proper care and education of your child and family . . .
Now imagine why some people have become weak to the wrong substance abuses in life and why they would fall into this syndrome. This is why a part of our government spending programs should be exercised to help those who cannot help themselves. Public schools are a good example when managed properly, to instill an interest to self-educate. Part of public schools is also called Health Care [health for the brain first.] Think about it. Then think of the recent arguing about how to invest your tax dollars in health care. It starts with education. Imagine that you have a say in public education and it starts with health [insurance.] Voice your opinion now and learn through discussion.
You have the power to choose wisely. They say we only use 1/10th the human brains potential. What do you choose to do with the other 9/10th's ?
Mark Seibold, Retired Artist-Astronomy Teacher, Portland Oregon
-
All these interviewed persons that have been dealing with addiction and struggling with it,
What advice can they give to teenagers trying drugs?
-
I have a rare genitic disorder, unkown. My internal organs,especially my bowels die. I have had 37 open abdominal bowell resections over the last four years. I have been sent home with an open abdomen from the ICU on hospice three times. My brain, kidneys and heart are not affected directly from the disease.
I was in excellent health before the crash, My wife and I were sailing on the Columbia the day I went to the emergency room. I have a doctorate in neuroscience, published with a tenure position. However, After 3 years of the disease, I was on an extreme cocktail of IV morphine, ketamine and versed, plus a myriad od other drugs stabilizing my condition.
I went to LA to a teaching hospital where there was a Surgeon who helped a condition like mine. My disease is more complicated than can be described here. The attending Physician of my pain manement team at the LA hospital decided I needed to be off of all narcotics and sedatives.
My bowels had gone through 32 resections at this time and were so swolen, friable and leaking that my abdomen could not be closed. I was in the ICU when they took off all of my narcotics and seditives over four hours.
I went into a lethal withdrawl, adrenaline storm causing a complete cardiovascular/ respiratory failure. Two emboli found thier way into my lungs from emergent life support interventions. My lung was punctured as well. I went into a psychosis which I am still recovering from.
The fear of pain management interventions causing secondary addiction problems needs to be clearly weighed against the negative perceptions of drug abuse.
Why should I and others suffer horribly because my disease state misery is more socially acceptable than the umbrella of addiction.
I understand that addiction is a severe problem. Many of my finest students have anorexia which can also fall under this umbrella. I
I must go now but will gladly talk and help anyone I can
Peace,
Mark
-
Comments are now closed.
I have been sober for over 5 years and by sober I mean no mind or mood altering substances. For me 'the habit' encompassed alcohol and drugs - I cannot separate the two - and I don't truly believe that an "addict" is different from and "alcoholic" however, I refuse to enter that argument. I don't know what the answer is for anyone, I only know what worked for me. What I needed was to come to my own breaking point. Loved ones pleading with me to stop - medical professionals telling me that I would die if I did not stop, the loss of friends, jobs, dignity none of it mattered - I kept going: either getting drunk and in trouble or getting drunk and using drugs. It was only me, struck with a moment of absolute fright - that caused my decision to seek help. Then it took 20 months of intense, residential treatment that was based on the principles of a very well know, sometimes misunderstood, but always present and open group of people found all over the world (AA). Breaking the habit takes a brutal confrontation of one's self - NO ONE can get sober without a sincere desire to change.