ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

A Life in the day: Addiction

Updated on September 24, 2012

Addiction is a powerful drug; every waking moment is consumed with the insatiable desire to appease the beast. It starts off innocently enough, the acquiescence to ‘take off the edge’ of life’s hard knocks. Then one day the addict awakens to find their servant has become their master. The Genie is out of the bottle, in a manner of speaking.

As a single digit alcohol addict, I submit this epiphany is the first step toward the reclamation of one’s life. Growing up in the early 60’s, alcohol availability was all encompassing; the generational societal attitude toward alcohol was promiscuous. I indulged in the access of ‘hard liquor’ between the ages of 7 to 17. I should add I knew it would be a matter of consequence with my parents in the form of ‘the belt.’ thereby, earning my badge of deceit. Deception is an essential qualification to be a successful alcoholic, or any substance abuser for that matter.

The relevancy of the circumstance is to understand the state of mind of an addict; the significant factor being the ability to recognize the signs of deception. When the tricks are known, the proverbial bells and whistles cannot be silenced. It’s akin to knowing how David Copperfield performs illusions. In time, the tailored eye recognizes dysfunction and erratic behavior as the ‘tells’ of an accomplished addict. The caveat being, those whom choose to intervene shall pay a dear price for doing so.

The intervening outsider should expect the ultimate internal battle to ensue from within between good and evil; the self serving mortal agenda versus the moral righteousness. The intervening outsider should expect the ultimate external battle to ensue from the resistant addict. Then there is the spectator whom has a ticket in the cheap seats whom simply don’t see what you see, simply doesn’t know what you know. The path of least resistance becomes exceedingly appealing to the prospective interventionist.

In these times of conflict, one tends to question motive and justification toward such involvement. The philosophy and self reflection of being viewed as a fence sitter, a flip flopper, a hypocrite, or worse an enabler? “To Glimpse at one’s soul, a weakness this power… In times of doubt, I weep as I cower…” these are the conversations inside the mind of one whom has been there, one who has done that.

Speaking strictly for myself, at the age of 17, I needed to reset my mind. The self destructive behavior I had exhibited required a force more powerful than the substance I was addicted to. Basic Military Training placed my mindset into a survival mode. The amalgamation was no longer a shade of gray. The man in my face stated in no uncertain terms things were either black or they were white…and it scared the devil out of me!

Appealing to our better Angels is exceedingly more appealing than succumbing to our alternative demons. At least it is for this man. We are gone in a blink of the eye with respect to the scheme of time. It is our obligation to do all in our power to set those free of their shortcomings. It is a privilege to assist one to soar above their limitations.

Addiction is a powerful drug; every waking moment is consumed with the insatiable desire to appease the beast… the pleasure center. If you can turn off the ground noise of your critics because you’re being too harsh, glory is likely one step closer. Maybe, and only maybe, one can live beyond their years if one achieves success in their fight for the righteous.


The more popular version

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)