An Open Letter to My Addiction

You are too valuable to Him for Him just to throw you away. Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today. I am not going to stop stepping into the light.

Doing so can help you relate to others suffering from drug abuse and help you realize you are not alone. Your letter can also serve as a source of inspiration for others. You see, I am so much more than just another person risking their life through drug abuse, and I will goodbye letter to alcohol not be a statistic. As good as I felt when I was with you at times, I felt terrible during others. I missed out on important events and gave up things that once meant a lot to me. I hit some of the lowest points in my life, and I now realize that I am worth more.

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But at the time, it felt like you were a coping strategy that made sense. Therapists say this tool is effective because it allows you to connect to your innermost thoughts and feelings that might not come out in talk therapy. Second, it is a way to process your experience with addiction in a way that allows you to also accept that it is a part of your past. Recognizing those failures wasn’t enough though, my denial ran much deeper. I’d tell myself that my stress validated my drug use.

• At a medical detox center, I missed you every second of the day.
• If your loved one is struggling with addiction, don’t set them aside.
• You are too valuable to Him for Him just to throw you away.
• I didn’t know for how long, so I was careful.
• He cannot hide from me; I know him and what he represents.
• My relationship with you, Addiction, made me a trophy of grace.

I know the regret you have for continuing to give in every single time when you fight yourself and SWEAR, “Never again. This is the LAST time.” I know the longing for yesterday that tugs on your heart every day. You can even lie to yourself until you look in the mirror. That’s when the memories of everything thing you have ever done come back.

An Open Letter to My Addiction

In the meantime, I remain hopeful that one day you’ll win your battle against substance abuse. Please know that wherever and whenever that happens, your parents will be waiting. We might need some time to get to know our son again, but no matter what happens, you’ll always be our son.

Now I’m lucky to get a text once a week, and it’s usually you asking for money. You don’t show up to family dinners or game nights anymore. One of the most important people in my life became a stranger to me. At Lighthouse Recovery Institute, we believe in comprehensive treatment programs that integrate the entire family. While recovering addicts go through either partial hospitalization or outpatient programs, we also encourage family therapy. In the end, the decision to seek treatment lies within your child.

Famous Open Letters

Given a recognizable pattern of relapse and recovery, restarting seems repetitive and tiresome, doesn’t it? Such is the nature of any disease, disorder, and/or condition. Even when the symptoms are predictable, they create discomfort. It is for this reason that life fosters meaning — if every day was a walk in the park, it would be really easy to get sick of the park. Anyone coping with addiction can identify with recovery originating deep within the core of identity as a self-sought endeavor. The root of all alcohol and/or substance use disorders ultimately digs into the relationship a person has with themselves.

I’m aware that my son has entered rehab, but the addict that controls him won’t let him stay. When my father died, I felt terrible pain and remorse. I wanted to pick up the phone and call him, but I knew I couldn’t. I wanted to one last time, for old times’ sake, but I couldn’t. I flashed back to all the good times, but they were not to be anymore.