We All Fall Down

The color challenge word today is scarlet. Not much of that around my house or yard except for Christmas decorations and even those are subdued versions. I found this book and these apples so here ya go. A bit of proselytizing …In some ways addiction is like the "forbidden fruit" - don't we all want to escape at times, don't some "drugs" make us feel better. For some an occasional glass of wine or toke of weed is not a problem, but I believe addiction is a disease and for some it can be the start of something that can alter the course of a life. It is being proven that there is a genetic component and that it is not a character flaw but an illness. "We All Fall Down" is one of the early books I read about addiction. I first read the book "Beautiful Boy" written by this author's father. It was about the father's struggle to support but not enable his bright and beautiful son through a horrible addiction. The son had periods of long term sobriety (months) followed by extremely self-destructive bouts of drug abuse, any and all types of drugs. Eventually he seems to get it together and now has years of sobriety. This is actually his second book.

Who is to say why an addict begins - is it the inability to cope with challenges, is it a constant thrill seeking, is it because they feel inadequate when sober? Or, is it just to escape the realities of a world they don't feel part of. I had a heroin addict tell me once that he didn't use to get "high", he used to not feel. His feelings were so intense, he could not live in his own skin.

It's obvious our "War On Drugs" is a dismal failure. Young people are dying in staggering numbers from drug overdose. One every 18 minutes worldwide. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I believe some of it is in education and putting this into perspective by using young people like Nic Sheff who have been there and made it back. I also think that somehow the profitability has to be taken away. There are so many people making incredible amounts of money on the sale of illegal drugs. Does that involve legalizing? I wish I could wrap my head around a good way to make that work.