Which addiction is worst?

[Real Deal]

Alex, dude, everything you're saying reminds me of my uncle, it's crazy (you aren't as extreme, though). He goes door to door, in the city, borrowing 25 cents. He used to do things like let the air out of my grandma's tires, say someone slashed them and he needed money to buy new ones for her, and take the money and blow it on cocaine.

 

During the 2007 flood (not sure if you saw me talking about that or not), he swam through the nasty, oil-filled water to steal tools from garages, and look for jewelry that wasn't damaged. Cops were arresting those that even GOT in the water, because of diseases and such, so he would go out in the middle of the night, in flood waters.

 

He has been beat up more times than I can count, nearly killed twice. Once, he took his two kids' clothes (all of them, except what they were wearing), took his wife's clothes while she was in the shower, AND took the curtains and blinds off the windows and threw them all in the river...guy was off the wall that day. The two kids weren't even teens yet, and they had to leave the house and walk down the street, get a friend to go and provide my aunt with clothes.

 

My dad has two sisters and four other brothers (including the drug addict I'm talking about). My uncle has fought ALL of them, fist fight, even the sisters.

 

He has taken a five-gallon bucket of paint that he stole, went to a chick's house in the middle of the night, and painted "slut" and "nark" all over her house.

 

He sold my grandpa's tractors when he was in the hospital, threatened to beat him up when he was on oxygen and 65 years old, forced his way into my car and made me drive him to a crack dealer's house on the bad side of town, stole multiple things from my dad from his garage and threw a brick through our front window (just above my parents' bed) while they were sleeping one night, and blew $1,000 in a single night on a couple of rocks that were gone by morning.

 

Crazy enough, he has injured himself to get on disability. He also swallowed a Brillo pad at McDonald's, one that he stuck in their coffee himself, and sued them for $10,000 that he eventually used for crack. He "slipped" off a semi truck and sued the trucking company. He worked at Amazon.com's distribution center, got into a fight with an employee, and somehow had that employee throw him up against a pillar on the wall, breaking a rib and injuring his back, suing for that as well and getting on disability.

 

Gambling doesn't even COMPARE.

[Nitro]

I can see your point, but can you see the comparison I make:

 

- Drug addicts who stop drugs, stop the self-destruction IMMEDIATELY as long as they enter rehab and make a vow to stop it... their lives get better from the point where they say "I'll stop the drugs." Even if they're in terrible terrible physical condition, the situation gets better instantly once the drug stops. NOTE THAT I'M NOT REFERRING TO THOSE WHO TRY QUITTING BUT SUCCUMB TO THE TEMPTATIONS AGAIN. I REFER TO THE DRUG ADDICTS WHO COMPLETELY STOP THE DRUGS.

 

- Gambling addicts who stop gambling, do not necessarily stop the self-destruction because the debt is there. Yes, they stop the gambling but if they're in a huge debt especially, will have no choice but to dedicate their whole lives to repay the debt instead of living their lives the way they wanted to. Yes, they no longer gamble, but the debt is still there and probably forever until they die.

 

Here's what you continue to fail to see:

 

First off, the self-destruction stops for both a drug and gambling addict if they do infact get "sober." Gamblers will still have a massive debt, and drug addicts will still have permanent damage to their bodies, possibly permanant damages to their various relationships, and also permanent damages to their finances.

 

Secondly, there's a term in AA called "dry drunk." What it means is that many drug addicts, once they become clean, will still have all the mental defects of an addict that make their life a living hell. The addiction to drugs is just a symptom of a much bigger problem, and unless you have a profound personality change, which can take many years to attain, your life will still be hell.

 

Lastly, yes, if you do get clean and have that personality change, things can drastically improve in an addict's life. The issue is that most drug addicts don't get clean and/or have that personality change, and it's not because they don't want to. Most of them cry themselves to sleep every night wishing they could have that, but the mental and physical addiction is too much. Others may not even get that deep into the addiction, but one accidental OD can take their life. One car ride being intoxicated could take both their and an innocent victim's life.

 

 

If one is too impaired to make decision to stop the drugs, their loved ones can make him stop it.

 

If my loved ones could have stopped my drug addiction after the time I went crazy from chronic ecstasy use and attempted suicide by slashing my wrists and neck 75+ times, you don't think they would have? They got me to the hospital, to rehab, to outpatient...the second I got out I smoked a fat blunt. Two months later I was addicted to heroin. Then I stole my dormmate's Ipod and camera and pawned them. Also pawned my mom's jewelry and video camcorder. Then I took out all the money my grandfather saved up for me for college via stocks and blew 2K of that in a 1 week span, then another 7K in 2 months. I then broke into my best friend's house and robbed him, and luckily he didn't press charges. I stole from my old job (at CVS) every single time I worked, including dozens of packs of cigarettes that they had an investigation over. Some lady I met in rehab let me help her move, and because she didn't have a liscence she let me drive the U-Haul. She gave me $100 for gas and her credit card (because it's required when you bring the U-Haul back). I stole all the money AND the credit card, maxed it out, and luckily she dropped those charges, but I still had to pay her back. I've beaten dozens of my friends in drug deals. I hit my ex-gf when I was under the influence. I've had 2 OD's. I've recently sold all my school textbooks for money and the semester isn't even half over. The list goes on...

 

Now you know just some of my story...all, 100% true. I am not even close to one of the worst drug addicts out there, and that's how [expletive]ed up my life has gotten in just two years. Hopefully I'm breaking through to you a bit.