Drug addiction is complex, and is a difficult concept for families and friends of addicts to grasp.
In order to explain it - there is a close resemblance between the way addiction affects the mind and the way computer coding works, and this can help you deal with a relative who is in the throes of addiction.
Computer code is written by an expert, called a developer.
When written perfectly, different words and numbers (code) which look completely meaningless to most people, trigger the wanted response and cause the website to do what it needs to do.
In other words, when you visit a website and click a button that says "
donate", the website will take you to a different page where you can donate. This happens because the code was written perfectly and triggered the correct response.
What happens if there is one word off in the code?
It causes an error in the system. Either the system will shut down, or it will trigger the wrong response. This can happen from only one word, or code, being wrong.
It's the same way with how you treat an addict. There are many things about the recovery solution that people who aren't in recovery don't understand.
"What's so bad about one joint? It's not heroin!"
"How can the 12 steps be important right now when this person needs a place to sleep??"
"How can I allow my relative to figure this out on their own? I need to help, I'm their family!"
"If they sound better, how can you say that they're not doing better??"
"Why can't I talk to my son, I'm his mother!"
Etc., etc.
See, with computer coding, it's easy to understand that we don't know what is best for the system. But with addiction it's a lot harder, because of the emotions involved. And it's so understandable, especially for parents and family members.
This is why we are writing this article, to help you clarify why certain things are good for your relative while other things are not.
Try to look at addiction the same way you look at computer coding. There are web developers who understand coding language and can help you - simply because they speak the language. They know which things are going to trigger a positive response and which are going to trigger a negative one.
Who are the web developers?
Other addicts who have a nice amount of time in recovery are a great place to start.
This is because we understand the "coding language". This is also because we have learned how to manage the code and are able to write it well.
In other words, we have the solution simply because we know what worked and what didn't, and this allows us to help another person who seems to be in a hopeless situation.
We are here to help - You are welcome to reach out anytime with any questions: info@azhousejerusalem.com. You can also donate to the cause by clicking
this link.
