As I read about the spike in heroin overdoses and deaths in the news paper today I felt my heart break. The drug is pure evil, and the people that are selling it have evil controlling them. I have seen good upstanding people in my own community lives destroyed by this drug. And we hear about the opiate epidemic on the news just about everyday now. Law makers are trying to get control over it by tightening the laws on prescription drugs and offering free addiction help (which also consist of a drug). Yes the drug has become the major problem for the person but I wonder if anyone has thought of why that person started to take the drug in the first place.

I do not think that anyone ever does anything with the intention of becoming addicted to it and causing self harm, destroying their lives. In order to be able to get any type of control over the problem, I think that the question of why has to be answered first. Most People create addictions because they are trying to either fill a void they have inside or to numb a internal pain of some sort. They are hurting so bad inside that they will try anything to not feel that pain, even if it is only for a little while. And when they find that thing that takes that pain away, making them feel free, it is not long before it is something that they have to have. It goes from them doing it to numb the pain, to them doing it because their bodies (or minds) have to have it. And by then they are worse off internally than they have ever been.

I am not a doctor or a psychologist but I have had my own battle and I have known many people that have struggled with some type of addiction. And from my own experience as well as talking with others, we all have this one thing in common. Our addiction started from trying to cover up something inside. Rather it was shopping, food, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, or pornography, it all started with a “thing” making us feel good and happy again. So I believe that if people could get help with the emotional pain that they have we would have less drug use and overdoses in America.  The only way to stop people from turning to “a thing” and creating an addiction is to deal with the reason as to why they feel the need to do it in the first place.

I also think that we could help some people by listening to them, caring about them, and being a true friend. When we are nice to people, take the time to ask how someone is doing and actually listening to what they have to say, speak encouraging words, let people know that they matter and that you care about them, we can actually help them emotionally. What you say to and the way that you treat someone could be exactly what they need to release the emotional pain that they are in and that could keep them from turning to something else. I know that we can not save everybody and that a person has to want to be helped and that some people need professional help, but I do think that we could help a lot of people by showing them genuine love.