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Part 2
In my last blog “Why Addictions,” I talked about why people are so easily addicted to some chemical or behavior that leaves them in a “physical and emotional prison.” I’ve thought about and researched addictions for quite some time. After all, 60%-70% of all Americans have some kind of an addiction.
I thought I could explain the reasons people get addicted in one blog, but I was wrong. So, I have decided to do Part 2 of “Why Addictions?” If you have not read Part 1, click here. So here we go!
Some people get in to addictions because of peer pressure.
I know there’s nothing new here. It seems we’ve heard about peer pressure since the day we were born. But no matter how much we talk about it, people give in to peer pressure everyday.
| The wrong crowd can’t give positive peer pressure because they don’t want to or know how. | Usually when somebody falls into the trap of negative peer pressure, they usually have abandoned people who give positive peer pressure and replaced them with all the wrong crowd. The wrong crowd can’t give positive peer pressure because they don’t want to or know how. All the wrong crowd knows to do is give bad advice and example they received by someone else in the wrong crowd. Thus the cycle continues. There’s an old saying used in addiction therapy that goes, “If you want to be safe, stay in the middle of the herd.”
We’ve all seen shows about wild animals on TV. Who gets attacked by the lion or
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People who give in to peer pressure have left the safety of the middle of the herd. | tiger? It’s the baby zebra or old zebra on the fringes of the herd. Those in the middle of the herd are safe. People who give in to peer pressure have left the safety of the middle of the herd. We are only as safe as our closest friends. “When I was 18 I stopped going to church, lost connections and started hanging out with the wrong people. One thing lead to another and before I knew it I was getting high all day every day. Seriously as soon as I woke up I got high, I got high every opportunity I could throughout the day and before I went to bed.” (Kimberly)
There’s a saying people use who are involved in AA or NA (Narcotics Anonymous). But this saying applies to all addictions: “To break your addiction, you will have to find new playmates, new playgrounds, and new play things.” No one ever broke an addiction hanging out with the wrong crowd, but hanging out on the wrong playground with negative playmates and playing with dangerous things is a set up for addiction, disaster, and death.
People get in to addictions because they are fooled by the “just once” lie.
Everyone who has an addiction was totally clean once. Every addict had his or her first time experience with what caused his or her addiction. They could have said no, and never known the highs or the cruel lows of their addiction. But instead, they rationalized and said to themselves, “I’ll experiment just once.” For some, “just once”
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For some, "just once" was all they need to begin the dance with the devil of death. | was all they needed to begin the dance with the devil of death. Let’s take drugs and alcohol for example. Studies tell us 10% of all Americans are predisposed to becoming addicted to drugs because of their genetics. People who fall in this predisposed category have better than a 50% chance of becoming addicted to something. While their friends may be able to take 1 or 2 drinks and walk away, these people cannot. The “just once” lie ends up being the beginning of disaster.
A girl called my show, Dawson McAllister Live, the other night with a nightmare story. She was a virgin and recently had sex for the first time. She was going to try it just once.
She told me she didn’t enjoy the sex that much, but she thought she was pregnant and her boyfriend had given her HIV. All from saying yes to the misuse of sex just once. There used to be an ad on TV by Budweiser, who on the one hand was trying to sell beer to their young audience, and at the same time, encourage them not to drink too much. The big line in the ad was, “Know when to say when.” I remember
| Every addict had his or her first time experience... | yelling at the TV when the ad aired (do you ever yellat the TV?). The time to say, “Know when to say when” is before you take the first drink. “I think people start getting addicted to many things by accident. Maybe their friends told them something was ‘cool’. They try what their friends were doing thinking they will only do it once. Then they really get into it and doing it over and over again, which becomes an addiction.” (Beth) Beth is absolutely right. Whatever you do, don’t get caught up in the “just once” trap. There are some drugs that with the first use, you become instantly addicted (i.e. coke, crack, ice, crank, special K, etc). It’s like the Pringles potato chip ad which says, “Once you pop, you can’t stop” or “Bet you can’t eat just one.”
People get into addictions because some highs are readily available.
There are some addictions that are very expensive such as gambling, shopping, some drugs, etc. Yet others are very inexpensive such as internet, Anorexia, cutting, etc. Let’s take cutting for example. It is one of the cruelest and most difficult addictions to break. One of the reasons cutting is so popular is it is free. After all, you already have your arms and legs to cut on, and how expensive is a blade? Right there you have everything you need to get the calm euphoria cutting offers. The very reason the addiction of cutting is so accessible is the same reason it is difficult to break.
| The very reason the addiction of cutting is so accessible is the same reason it is difficult to break. | You can run from cocaine or throw your computer out the window, but you can’t run from your own arms and legs. “Every time I cut, everything that I feel is GONE! This Fall it will be 3 years that I have been addicted. And I can’t help it. I can’t go over 2 days without. I carry "tools" everywhere with me. It is what brings me up so I don’t have to feel emotional pain, because I’ve learned physical pain is nothing compared to emotional.” (Samantha) I was moved by Samantha’s phrase, “I carry ‘tools’ everywhere with me.” It got me thinking. Every addiction has a tool. All cutters need is a sharp blade and they’re ready to go any time, any place. For the alcoholic or binge user, the tool is a bottle or can. For the drug user, it is a pill, blunt, or rock. There are all kinds of tools used to fill up that empty void, space, or hole in one's life. These tools are easy to find, but hard to put down.
Conclusion
It’s easy to look at my two blogs on “Why Addictions” and get discouraged. You may be asking yourself, “Is there any way out? Can I overcome the addiction in my life? Give me some hope.” The answer is a thousand times yes. But it will take a true spiritual transformation. Put another way, only a deep, meaningful relationship with God can truly set us free. That’s why just about every recovery group for
an addiction uses the same proven 12 step program and only adapts it slightly for each addiction. Six of the twelve steps talk directly about God. Rather than working on a deeper relationship with God, we make the addiction our god. God created you and me to know and love Him. All addictions make a lousy god. Is it any wonder then most people who have an addiction are eventually miserable? Here the good news: the same God who never wanted you addicted to begin with will give you the strength to recover. It’s a matter of trusting Him to heal you and committing your life to letting God help you turn your entire life around.
NEXT WEEK'S BLOG - Understanding the Highs of Addiction
What would you say are the benefits of an addicted person's high?
Why do people stay in an addicted lifestyle (friends, etc.)?
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007 - 12:18:15 AM
people stay in the 'addicted lifestyle' i think because theyre so addicted and they dont care to change or deal with other stuff in life. using drugs is much easier to deal with so they rather live life that way. i think the main benefit of a person's high is the escape you feel. you escape reality. you dont have to deal with the stress and pressure of things because really no matter what your gonnna feel good until your sober again and thats also why they stay in the addicted life. theyre so used to being or getting high that after awhile it just comes naturally.
- becky
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 11:37:00 PM
Some people are so far gone they don't even know there getting "high"
- Constance
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 7:19:48 PM
people stay in addictions because they don't have anyone to help them.they don't know how to get out.
- brittany
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 7:19:43 PM
i really don't know what to say. i'm a....cutter. i..have been for nearly a year now. its been..as of today..70 days since i've cut. they say the farther you go the better it gets but i'm not like that. its like the farther i go the more i want to do it. sunday i almost gave in..but i listened to your show and it calmed me down. cutting LITERALLY lets everything out. as i bleed i feel like everything is being let out. i get very discouraged. no one really knows besides my youth pastor and one teacher. they didn't exactly help much..if anything they made it worse. i don't know anymore..i get so confused because i want to stop but yet...i can't. no matter how hard i try. i wish there was a way to talk to you beside the radio.
- brittany
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 7:18:46 PM
Hey Dawson. I listen to your show every sunday night and think what you to is incredible.Thank you for helping people in need. I have always wanted to call your show but never got around to it. But to answer your question I believe there are good and bad addictions. A bad addiction can always be replaced by a good one though. I was addicted to alcohol and every time I was stressed or had a problem with friends or family I would drink to try and ease the pain or stress. My parents found out somehow and threatened to send me to a therapist if I didn't stop. That night I got so angry I went to go drink a beer. Right before I took that first sip I realized that drinking only gets me in more trouble and hurts me more. So I thought of a new way to get out my feelings instead of trying to get drunk to numb them. That night I started to write in a notebook about how I felt and why I got so angry at things. Now, every day or time I get stressed out or angry I take out the notebook and write my feelings down. It helps me vent instead of trying to numb my feelings by drinking. So I think bad addictions can always be replaced by good ones if you really want to stop!
- allie
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 7:10:53 PM
hey dawson, i have a friend that addition with getting high, and her mom didn't kno that she waz doin it..she told that she wanted 2 stop...cause she it would her mom real bad,and i told 2 just stop like that.she said it's not that easy 2 stop like...then she got 2 praying and asking the lord 2 help.she stop cold turkey i real happy 4 her...cause she stop..i would like 2 thank u 4 everything u have done 4 people and help them on ther problems....
GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!!
- Cristina
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 10:50:59 AM
Hey Dawson. Fist of all, I just wanted to let you know what a ministry your show is to me and other listeners. Thanks for reaching out to those who need help. To answer your first question, I believe that there are good addictions and then there are bad addictions. I would encourage someone to try to overcome their bad addiction with a good one. Kind of like an outlet, to help that person stay out of whatever is affecting them in a negative way. As far as benefits go, I think that as long as it's affecting someone in a positive way it's healthy for them. Everyone has a nitch. I would encourage that person to go out and find it and make a difference.
- Sophie
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:53:48 AM
hey dawson i thank i know why its so hard to chang lifestyles some people well i lived with my dad for 2 years and well i didnt go to school 2 years and well i finely called my grandma up well me and my dad and step mom and step sister and 2 brother lived in kansas and well my dad hate my grandma and well in the thang where i would hang out in the strets and hang out with guys i didnt know and well i called my grandma and told her i wasnt in school and i did never get to have friends i was babysitting 24:7 and well well she came to get me i thout i could go back to alabama and chang into a normal teen but i was so in to hanging out with people i didnt know so i just keep doing it and well it go to the guys i was hanging out with started asking me to and well i said no and well its just that the people who do that stuff they cant stop cuz of they dont want the feeling to stop
- dawn
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:50:10 AM
hi dawson...for me, the addictions give me something tangible that's wrong with me...I feel so horrible inside yet i can't talk about what's really wrong so the addiction gives me something to say that's wrong with me...I want to be addicted to something...so I try everything hoping that I'll end up in rehab for something and then maybe someone will notice...i want to be addicted to something...the high is knowing that maybe one day being addicted to things will get me help...
- Christina
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:49:14 AM
I love your show it helped me stop getting into fights and helped me stop cutting myself.
- Taylor
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:49:03 AM
Dawson,
i love ur show...i listen to it every sunday and pray for each person that comes on...i have a ton more to say, but i have to go now...Thank you for all u do.
Bianca
- Bianca
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:48:51 AM
Hmm people don't want to change but then they do sometimes there so far down they don't even relize that there doing it.
- BubbleGum199611
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:48:31 AM
I don't know why other people stay addicted, but for me its the only thing I can turn to. I hate cutting so much, but I'm too scared to tell, and I can't face people's reactions. Its something thats always there for me no matter what happens, its a way of escaping reality, and forgetting about everything. No matter how temporary it is its a relief to escape all the pain. I never meant to get addicted or anything, but now I just cant stop.
- Rachel
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:40:03 AM
Freedom from pain. The release is unlike any other. Escape. Relief. Although temporary, sometimes seconds are just enough. For me, to leave this lifestyle would equal more pain. The only way out would be to deal with internal past stuff that I don't want to deal with and to be honest can't really identify at the moment.
- Sarah
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:39:23 AM
i love your show.. i am a little shy to call in to you when you are on the radio.. i got soem problems and you seem like a person that can help.. but i love the show
- christy
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:39:06 AM
to me, it is so easy to get addicted to things, i am 24 and have had many addictions in my life, sex, alcohol and even cutting myself. Who really knows why i had done those things, i guess because of stress and family problems, but i had found God and he renewed my soul and heart and feel as though i dont have a need to hurt myself anymore. advice to the people who are addicts- get help before it is too late and u are getting carried away in a casket. Save yourself, there are people that can help you.
- dana
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:36:00 AM
As i am reading these great comments which are very true in my life it is very difficult 2 stop something that u love even though it hurts. what helps me 2 calm down is cutting which i know i should do something else 2 reach out and not hurt myself.
-alesya
- alesya S
Tuesday, Aug 14, 2007 - 12:33:14 AM
Hey Dawson!! Last Night i heard your show for the very first time. I didn't even know that there were shows like urs out there on the radio. It jus so happend that i lost the radio signal to the radio station i listen to regularly and so i went flippin' thru the stations and stumbled across ur show. I have been a cutter for 3 maybe 4 yrs now. I can go ALOT LONGER than a week without cutting but when im not cutting i think bout it more and more to the point were its constantly running through my head and if i go to long without cutting i start thinking of attempting suicide. But every time i cut i feel a big relief.I dont know why but seeing the blood pour from my arms soothes me and makes me feel sooo much better but like u say iz only a temporary fix and b4 u know it ur doin' it again and it becomes an addicition. As much as i hate to admit it, i think i have a reall addiction to cutting and caint quit. After hearing the stories of others on your show last night i could really relate to the pain that they feel. I think iz soo Kool how u listen and help with peoples problems. Soo thanx for helping them DAWSON!!
- Emerald
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:24:39 PM
I think that people don't want to change because it's really hard and often scary just to think about changing lifestyles. it's easier to act like you don't have a problem.
- Anna
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:24:37 PM
For me the bennifites of caffiene are that it helps me to calm down.
- Anna
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:05:09 PM
ITs been 5 years since i started to cut and every cut takes more of the pain away,and the deeper the better.I dont know how it all started but i do know i dont want to cut anymore.iv tried to stop i went a week but the i couldnt take it anymore.
- Ali
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:05:05 PM
hey dawson...my name is alecia. i listen to ur show EVERY sunday nite. it's sooooo addictive. i can really relate to alot of the people that call in. i just want to tell you that you have such a positive influence on them. it's good that someone really cares about us teenagers and ACTUALLY listens. i've never called in. just listening to it helps me out. i tell my friends all the time that they should listen to your show just ONE time and it might really help. thankyou for giving us time to talk our problems out and be able to help straighten our lives up. God has given you a gift. you are GREAT at it. thankyou SOOOO much dawson!!!
- alecia
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:05:00 PM
Mr. Dawson,
Last night was the first time i ever heard of your show i could not believe how taken away i was. i wanted to call but i was too afraid. I believe i have and addiction that alot of people have but dont talk about, i am addicted to phone sex and cyber sex. To tell the truth i am not in love with the sex part but just hearing those guys tell me how amazing i am and how much they love me just makes me feel so great about myself. I have a boyfriend that lives in california i love in florida we have been together for a year and a half, i do love him very much but i am so confused. i know there are other girls that are in my same position but just dont admit it. We, i need help last month my parents phone bill was close to $600, i dont know what else there is to do so i am coming to you.
- Katherine
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 1:04:38 PM
My mother is an alcoholic. She came to her prime time in her disease abotu3 years ago around Christmas and my life has never been the same. I have not personally been through an addciton but seeing it in a colse relative is insane. It takes control like that is all that matters in there life. My mom wrecked 2 cars, and went through months of Rehabilitation until she became sober. Life will never be the same, and there is so much that goes along with addictions that you cannot understand until you have lived with it. It becomes so much more than an addiction, its a lifestyle, its what they live for. I'm sure I could say many other things about it but the truth is that you can't fully understand without experience.
thank you for your show, I listen to it every Sunday night. I was very excited whe i heaerd that you were doing a blog on addiction.
thank you so much!
- Ashley
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 9:22:45 AM
Hey Dawson,
I love your show and i listen to them everynight on you website. I like the way that you help people.
Keep doing what your doing!
You are awesome! :)
- Mae
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 9:22:38 AM
well every one get addied to something at one time!!^^
- Suki~chan
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 9:22:31 AM
i think ur great dawson. thanx for everything!
- sara
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 12:48:57 AM
I love your show, Dawson.
You're doin a good thang for people. :)
Lol...I didn't know you were so old. :P You sound pretty young on tha radio.. haha just kiddin. ;) You're awesome!
- Chyme
Monday, Aug 13, 2007 - 12:28:15 AM
Dawson... your awesome, but I need some help too and I don't have a phone to contact you... i really need to be able to talk to you atleast once with this one problem
- Sarah
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:58:46 PM
I just wanted to say that I'm so glad you have this radio show. You've helped alot of teens around the country who have truley needed someone to talk to. You are great, And your advice is wonderful. I've always wanted to be a teen counselor or just someone to help people, and listening to you help others really inspires me. Thank you Dawson! :)
- Erica
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:58:10 PM
I belive that some people stay in an addicted lifestlye because they don't believe it's wrong. And, once they realize it, they deny it. Also, people belive that it's the only way to live. Not all addictions are like this, but, some are...
<33
- Lizz
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:55:43 PM
"NOSWAD"
Definitely NOT the most important bit of information you've shared!!
Keep up the GREAT WORK!! I went to a few of your conferences in Indianapolis WAY BACK - late 70's. I'm far over 25 but my kids and I listened to you on 106.1 DALLAS the other night. THANKS for STILL caring for the NEXT generation!! God Bless You!!! Julie
- Julie M
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:45:11 PM
I love listening to your show! Me and my roomate sit and listen to it every sunday night! The stories are very heart tightening...and What everyone goes through. Your great and straight up honest and we love that!!
- Courtney
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:44:49 PM
I've been cutting for two or three months now. I've stopped and started and stopped and started. I don't think I'm addicted but my cousin, who's done the same thing, even worse, says I am. We're both Christians and some of my older friends at church know about my problem, and they all think I'm addicted, even though I just stopped again and I'm trying to stay that way. I keep thinking about it and the stress is piling up and it just feels like there's a voice in my head saying "You're worthless, they don't really care for you, God doesn't want you, GET YOUR LAZY SELF TO YOUR FREAKING RAZOR." I don't know if I'm addicted. I don't think I am...am I?
- Mikayla
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 11:18:36 PM
i have an addiction of always thinking of having sex i think if i dont do it then life isnt worth living is there anyhelp u can give me i listen to ur show every sunday the full 2 hours it helps me out with my friends and myself
- Justin W
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 10:45:10 PM
well my dads cheating on his girl friend and talking to her behind her back. we went to PA with my cusin and the girl hes cheating on and told my cusin not to say anything about his other girl friend. It makes me sad becuse i know cheatings not right. And i have to deal with this everyother weekend because my parents a not together anymore:(
- Kathleen
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 10:35:46 PM
Why do people stay in an additctive lifestyle? I think that people stay in an addictive lifestyle because they feel they have nothing else to live for. I was once addicted to several illegal drugs and didn't want to stop because i felt like noone cared about what I did, so why should I care? Well when the money stopped coming and I lost everything that I had, I made a call and decided that i needed to stop and found out that someone did care. Now i have a group of people that I know care and its a group called AA. Not to promote them but I know i have friends there.
- Randy
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 10:27:31 PM
Hey dawson!!!
I'm looking forward to your show tonight!!!I listen to it every sunday.
I really like the fact that when we cant talk to our parents about something,we can always trust putting our problems into your hand with out feeling embarresed or let down.=)
Thank you for all that you do.:þ
- vanessa
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 10:01:27 PM
Well, i see what alot of people said about cutting. And i wanted to clear things up. A reason people cut themselves isn't for attention (unless they are fake people that thrive for attention.) But its because when things go bad they feel as if its their fault. And they should take "blame" for it. It's really sad. Because to them, they can't seem to do anything right. And when things go bad... it's automatically their fault. It's alot more complicated than most people think.
- Jaime
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 10:01:20 PM
do have any thing on people who are like demans and they dont like when u put a bible by them or on them
- brittney
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 9:28:55 PM
one out of ten people become addicted to drugs because they want to cover up their issues and not let anyone know about it. Hope some of the teens get their life back on track with your help. I have seeked help when I was in high school and it put me back on track. I was going to end my life when I was in 11th grade but luckly my friend told the consuler at out school about the issue and she told my mom and boy was I glad I got my life back on track.
- Jolyn V
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 9:28:14 PM
its all about the instant gratification. its why there's so many ppl with addictions. Heck, its why places like Mcdonalds are so popular. the entire American population wants that instant satisfaction. we are hungry so we want to get our food and eat right now. just like the ones with addictions. they are sad/depressed and want to feel better right now. Drugs and alcohol make you feel better right now. it may not last but as of right now, you feel good, your ok.
what are the benefits of an addicted person's high? i guess i could say that it keeps you living one more day. you keep thinking, 'this addiction helps me survive life.' thats where the addiction comes from, its that notion that this is what we need to survive. for that temporary moment that your under the influence, your not wanting to kill yourself and your not thinking about the issues that you got to deal with. Life seems so much easier.
- Brianne F
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 9:26:18 PM
I can answer that question from first hand experience. I am addicted, at first it was just weed all day everyday there never was a time that i wasn't high. At work, at home, and my parents never knew. More recently, i don't smoke weed anymore. I have been doing cocaine for the last 3 months straight and in two days i've been known to spend 350 dollars. It's bad. For the past 2 days i have been sober. And depression has hit me so hard. Between split shifts at work i had 3 hours to myself and i cried for 2 and 1/2 of them. If i'm not high. I'm depressed, it is a trade off. An addicted person has to have their escape. When i'm sober i feel as if i weren't. And when i am high i feel normal, like i can finally think. I stay in this lifestyle because of my friends and where i live and the connections i have. If i were to move and gain better friends then my lifestyle would change. but it is also my decision. My sister, brother and I have all been doing this together. And besides work that is all we do all day. Find a way to get high and when money is gone it is all you can think about for 3 or 4 days till your done crashing. But that feeling gives you a false sense of happiness. But i'm not that happy most of the time, for me, i've chosen the fake happiness and i pray to God every night that maybe one of these days i won't have to be high to be happy. I pray alot that life will get better. And i plan on staying sober. These past two days have been the worst ever. My uncle jus went back to prison and the people i am surrounded by make it so hard to quit. i am quitting smoking too. But i can't quit both at once for fear of losing my sanity. one of my only hopes is god. i sing for my church and go to church every sunday. I sit there and think that if only all these people knew that just 5 or 6 hours ago i was out of my mind from drugs. I feel guilty for standing on that stage with the other music leaders. I feel unworthy. I know that through God all things are possible though. And it is possible or me to quit. and find a new lifestyle/friends/support.
- Kendra
Sunday, Aug 12, 2007 - 9:24:51 PM
hi. Im not sure if this is the right place for this. I listen to your show pretty much every week. I have wanted to call in a few times, but I Really can't, seeing as my parents go to bed near 9. and I cant talk on the phone past then. anyways. I was wondering if theres any chance you could help me with something.
my best friend has recently been getting herself into alcohol a lot. its become an addiction, and she is in complete denial. its actually pretty obvious something is going on, because shes changed. lately all that matters to her is herself, and getting rid of her problems, meaning drinking and/or cutting. her dad is pretty much sexist, he tells her she cant do stuff because shes a girl, and he also had an affair with another woman when she was younger. however, her parents are still married. it really stresses her out though. also recently a good friend of her's died in a car crash, which also has put some stress on her, which is understandable. she has cut for over 2 years now i believe. but about a year ago started drinking. her parents found out and threatened to send her to military school, so she stopped, and as soon as she got stressed again, she went back to it. also, as I said before, shes in complete denial about it. she doesnt think its an issue and she doesnt think its an addiction. "its just something i go to if i'm stressed" something shes said multiple times. and knowing her, she'll start to party, then she will be offered drugs, then she will take it, and then she will do those also. she doesnt know when to stop. when she gets drunk, she passes out most the time. and im worried that if shes offered drugs, she will take them, and Over dose, and end up in hospital or dead. and i really can't loose her. shes an amazing friend. she needs help, but she refuses to get it. she says that she has tried, but they dont do their job. everyone who tries, tries their hardest, I know that for a fact, its her that isnt doing her part, she wont LET them help. so, im begging you, please help me and her. thank you :]
- Ashley
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 11:06:45 PM
Hey, I'm planning on becoming a Youth Conference Speaker, Youth Leader, Suicide Counselor and I'd like to have a radio show.
I was wondering, how did you get where you are now? What college did you go to? Did you have to take corses to have DMLive?
I'll be going to Frontier School Of The Bible in legrange,WY next weekend. And they study ( are completely focused on studying the Bible for the first 2 years. ) The third year you focus on your major. Mine's in Youth Ministry.
So, I was just wondering all this stuff. I'd like to talk more about what you did, and how you got here. You're like my role model, so if we could talk, I'd like that.
I'm on myspace if you want to messege me on there. All you need to do is look my e-mail up. I'd like to invite you, but I don't know your e-mail.
Thanx!
In HIM+++
Rachel Elizabeth+
- Rachel M
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 10:00:10 PM
The benefits of an addicted person's high is just the rush and feeling you get from whatever your addiction is. my addiction was crack and when i was on it i felt like no one could touch me. it was like i was invinsible. but eventually the high/feeling dies and you crash. in my expierence i crashed hard and landed my self in an extensive rehab center were they helped me break my addiction and now i have accepted my saviour Jesus Christ in my life and i am planning on applying to college and making myself someone in this world.
- megan
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 8:27:36 PM
hey dawson,
your blog is amazing..i really enjoyed reading it.and it really helped me think about my addiction with smoking cigarettes and sometimes pot..but thanks again. God Bless.
- karen
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 8:27:28 PM
I am not a cutter (never was one, never will be one), but I think they do it to "release" themselves. I would like to suggest a better alternative: crying. When you cry, you are not harming yourself.And instead of "releasing" blood, you're "releasing" tears. It's good to cry. It also "releases" you're emotions.
Just a thought.
- Beth L.
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 12:46:12 AM
As to the benefits of an addicted person's high, I think Dawson has heard like a thousand times. Generally, it makes people feel wonderful about themselves, or it distracts them from the reality they don't want to face. Why do they stay? I think a lot of addicted people don't even know they're addicted, so they don't understand that there is something to fix. Some people grow up in an environment of addicted people, and they don't really know any other way of life. Still, others don't believe that they can escape the mess that they have created for themselves. More people don't understand that the benefits don't outweigh the negatives in the end. And I'm sorry to disagree with you Dawson, but not all cutters need 'blades' or 'razors' to make a successful cut. I know my mom would totally freak out if she found a razor in my pocket. What are razors anyway? It's not like it's normal for people to carry around things to shave with. The things I generally use are very easy to come across so I don't usually carry anything around. I mean, if you really want them to, you can make staples, paper clips, pipe cleaners, etc. work just fine.
- shelby
Saturday, Aug 11, 2007 - 12:43:47 AM
A high is just another means of coping with life. It is a drug-induced fantasy, replacing reality with something surreal. Persons become something greater than they think they can ever be, escape the chains of reality, peer into worlds unknown to them and just feel really good.
People stay in an addicted lifestyle because the addiction has become their primary coping mechanism. However unhealthy and self-destructive their addiction may be, it continuously works and it's accessible. No fear of the unknown when maintaining an addiction. Persons friends are either not their true friends or perpetuating the addiction. It's like swan-diving into quicksand, unless you have a really good friend to pull you out, you're a goner.
- T.J.
Friday, Aug 10, 2007 - 10:33:27 PM
I just want to say that I listen to yur show every Sunday night and that u give great feedback to the teenagers that need the help..Keep up the great work yur doing..
- Todd
Friday, Aug 10, 2007 - 10:33:19 PM
I dont believe there is any benefit from being high but to an addict it probably helps them escape reality which can be cruel at times to ppl.I think they stay with an addicted life style because it is all they know. plus they havent hit the wall yet and wont be able to until then.
- Hannah
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