HJNO Sep/Oct 2022

DRUG ADDICTION Hope was the reason this series on drug addiction was started. It is easy to look at an addict on the street and turn your head or to secretly, self-righteously judge someone who is or has raised an addict. We’ve all done it. But it is our hope that this series has stopped that line of thought. Science has made us realize that the brain chemistry of addicts is different, that addiction should be treated as a disease — unfortunately one for which we are still seeking a cure. Picking up the pipe or taking a drug for the first timemay have been the identical choice for any two people, but for the addict, it awakened an unquenchable desire.While the other can just go on with life, the addict is now caught in a sticky, unforgiving web. And the only release they can find from the torment is the devil drug they both love and hate. It’s a trap that seems inexplicable to those who have never experienced it. The solution seems so obvious — make different choices, avoid the forbidden fruit. As the author of this piece will tell you, it’s a beautifully elegant solution that can only be offered by someone unaffected by the grasp of addiction on themselves or a family member. In conversationswith those shell-shocked by addicted familymembers or loved ones, we have learned they all are struggling to find a solution, not really sure what to do. Hoping to love as best they can, while not enabling, or letting them ruin their own lives, they wonder when the call will come to pick up the pieces, not sure when to get close and when to let them fall. Their stories are tough to hear, but their hope is inspiring. In researching this series, former Betty Ford therapist TedWiard, LPCC, CGC, author and executive director of Golden Willow Retreat Center, came highly recommended. With so many stories of relapse and despair, we wanted to know if there is really hope for the addict. This kind soul, who has dedicated his life to the broken, graciously agreed to share his thoughts and his message of hope with our readers. A US HEALTHCARE JOURNALS SERIES Drug Addiction 22 SEP / OCT 2022 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS