What Drugs Addicts Are Not

By: Lance Lang I will never forget the first time someone asked me, “What’s wrong with you?” I had stolen some pills, okay, a lot of pills, from someone who had just had surgery. I didn’t even think about what I was doing at the time. All I was thinking about was getting high and not getting sick. It was a means to an end for me. Basically my thought process was…

  •       I know she has pills
  •       I know where she keeps them
  •       I think I can steal them
  •       I’m going to do it.

Sounds horrible now, but at the time it made sense.

Well, the family caught me stealing the pills and berated me for hours. They called me all kinds of names like weak and stupid.  It was a tough day and one that I dealt with emotionally for years.

I think this story sums up the mindset of most addicts and those who love them. The addict focuses on themselves instead of those they are hurting while those who are offended are accusing the addict in order to change them.  Both parties are blind to what’s really going on.

To break addiction, our vision of a drug addict needs to change. True help and hope can only begin to take place when we begin to see this situation clearly. To help us look beyond assumptions, I’ve listed traits can help us understand what addicts are not:

Weak

Drug addicts are not weak- minded, emotionally or even physically.  Quite the contrary, we are strong individuals who are willing to endure great pain and sacrifice to get what we want.

Stupid

We are some of the brightest men and women on this planet. Most of us were very talented in school before drugs made their way to dominate our lives. We typically excel in the arts and science and have naturally captivating interpersonal skills. We aren’t dumb, however, we do sometimes fail to fully engage our intelligence.

Ourselves

When in active addiction, people are not themselves. This revelation can change every assumption about the character of those who abuse drugs. Who we have become is not who we are and we need help rediscovering ourselves.

If you love someone who is battling a drug addiction, here is how you help them find a second chance:

Confront the problem with truth and hope.

After a decade long battle with drugs and alcohol, my uncle stepped into my life and did something I desperately needed someone to do. He told me exactly who I’d become.

It was hard to hear as he went on detailing my downfall, but he helped me see the truth. That day I made the first true confession of how bad my drug use had become and, in that moment, I believe God began sprinting my direction.

You see, the enemy loves to work in the dark places of our lives. But when we begin to let the light shine into our darkness, our secrets and lies can no longer hide.   Grace flows quickly, love begins to strengthen our soul and second chances are born.

“But thank God for April 6th 2011, the day I experienced amazing grace and my hope was “shocked” back to reality. It was as if God swooped down, picked me up, and wrapped me in His finest robe. I had roamed this earth like a horse with blinders for so long, but God finally opened my eyes to a world I never knew existed, a world full of love and peace, overflowing with freedom and new friendships.”

-    Lance Lang, “Hope is Alive”

When we find help, we find hope.

To find out more about Lance Lang, visit www.LanceLang.com and www.HopeisAlive.net.

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