Denying this disease does not make it go away. I have watched this disease wrap its tentacles around three generations now. I have watched each generation pretend that it wasn’t all that bad, that it didn’t do all that much damage, that they didn’t really need help. But they did. This disease is not only about drinking. The trauma that we all experienced living with chaos, hurt, disillusionment and chronic emotional pain affected us at a deep level. I have seen many people not drink or drug and imagine that that meant they were not sick. They couldn’t see that the relationship issues that we all suffer from are related to this disease. This disease takes many forms because addiction is traumatizing to all concerned, and trauma creates emotional and psychological problems that do not necessarily get better by themselves.

 I can get help

 Most people have come to prefer certain of life’s experiences and deny and reject others, unaware of the value of the hidden things that may come wrapped in plain and even ugly paper. In avoiding all pain and seeking comfort at all costs, we may be left without intimacy or compassion; in rejecting change and risk we often cheat ourselves of the quest; in denying our suffering we may never know our strength or our greatness.

Rachel Naomi Remen