A few words about addiction

   I just finished watching Celebrity Rehab. A lot of people make fun of this show and the people on it. I will admit that the word "celebrity" is used loosely these days but regardless of the Hollywood status of these people, they are humans just like the rest of us. I'm sure I have a soft spot for this issue because of what I've gone through but to me that is extremely sad. We as a society tend not to be "bothered" with issues we don't understand. Ignorance is a disease in this country. We can pass judgment on any issue at hand but Heaven forbid we actually put ourselves in their shoes and try to actually have empathy for them. We are so quick to rip each other apart just to boost our own egos. If you ever watch "Real Housewives of New York" then there's a perfect example!
   Today on the show they found out that they lost on of their previous patients. I actually watched the season that this patient was on. He seemed to have beaten his addiction, his disease. Unfortunately he died of an overdose. Instead of judging this person, this should show what a serious DISEASE this is. Not only is addiction a disease, but it's all too often a terminal disease.
     The word "epidemic" doesn't even begin to describe what's going on today all over the country with these drugs. The good news is that it's 100% preventable. So other than pretending that addiction is not a big deal and only skanky, dirty people have to deal with it, we need to address it everyday. In my graduating class alone, I know at least 40% probably more, are still addicted to drugs. Mainly pills. The cheerleaders, the most popular students are now struggling everyday to get out of bed without their "medicine". I was one of them. In school I NEVER had a class or even a session about the seriousness of this disease. It was sugarcoated into a cheer squad called "Pride". They were fun to watch but nobody listened. We have to get real about this subject. Kids are doing drugs at younger ages every year. We have to tackle this and prevent it before it starts. Not just through classes at school but at home also. My kids are almost at the age where I will tell them exactly what happened to me but even now we talk about this issue all the time. They know that it's NOT okay to even try a drug and they know that the end result will always be addiction. They know that addiction leads to a miserable existence.