This article popped up on the sidebar of a news article about Phillip Seymour Hoffman. It’s by Russell Brand, whom I’ve always thought is incredibly articulate and hilarious. (No comment on the Katy Perry thing.) Brand is also a recovering drug addict. In this article, he talks about life after getting clean.
Having dated an alcoholic for more than a year, man, this piece hit home. Unless you’ve experienced it yourself (and I know many of you have) it’s pretty hard to imagine the pain associated with watching someone you care about, someone who could’ve had such a promising future — completely ruin their body, their finances, and their relationships with everyone they care about. Smart people, people who “know better” when they’re sober, will throw aside absolutely everything worthwhile in their lives to go on a bender.
There’s a lot to say about this. I don’t have the time to say it all today … I don’t know if I’ll ever have the time to say it all. The important thing is that I’m happy and I wouldn’t change a thing that would’ve interfered with me getting to this moment in life, right here.
But today, I just have to salute everyone who has looked this problem in the face and dealt with it. I do believe it’s an illness … a sickness with a force and a momentum behind it that’s very nearly supernatural.
Kicking addiction is one of the hardest things that I can imagine. I know it’s a daily decision. For all those of you who have decided to embark on this lifelong struggle and turn away from those seductive demons who keep calling your name, I say thank you. On behalf of your family and your friends, thank you for taking care of yourselves. Thank you for showing us you love us by continuing to make this choice. You may have felt weak while you were using, but you know what? You’re some pretty badass motherfarkers as far I’m concerned.
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