For those that share my story and have battled with addiction, this is my prayer for those in the battle. This is my prayer for the addicted:
You Are Not Alone
The only ones who can truly know how we feel and what we are going through are those that have been in our shoes. Often, I fear that those of us that have struggled with addiction feel like we are misunderstood or unheard. As if there is something inherently terrible in us that caused us to journey down that road. But…
I Know Your Pain
I know your pain. I know what it is you seek to fill the void felt deep with you. Like you, the hurt for most of us began long before the first hit.
Addiction provided us with blissful moments of feeling loved, capable, and worthy of a good life. It enabled us to mask the unresolved and the disconnect within ourselves.
I know you are afraid. Recovery could lead you to a better life. But it is a different life. It is a life you do not know. And it is the unknown that scares you.
I Pray You Let Go
Your old life was filled with a devil’s drug. It played tricks, lied to you, stole from you, and took from you, far more than it ever gave in return.
But it was familiar. It was a game you played. And you had learned and accepted the rules. You are terrified of the unknown. And you cling to the familiar despite the whip in its’ hand.
But if you have any hope of overcoming your addiction, then you must work on the healing of yourself and the mending of the disconnect that you have been running from for so long.
People may wonder what holds you back. People may think that the choice is obvious. But they do not know your mind. Your mind and your ways of thinking are all you have ever known. If you let it go. You think, “what is left of me”?
Courage to Face the Unknown
The unknown scares you. In the beginning, it scared me too.
But there is so much greatness in you waiting to be revealed. So much of you has been left untouched, unconsidered, and undiscovered.
You need only step into the unknown to know that you can make the unknown become your own. You make it yours. You make it what you wish for it to be.
Take courage, seek help, and turn to faith to show you another way. No one has the same end. No one is brought to their knees in the same way.
Have Faith In the Rest of Your Story
No ones’ story is written the same. And the only way for the story to continue and the only way for hope to breathe new life into a dark path is to never stop living YOUR story.
Your story is needed and set into motion by divine intent.
It starts with you. Take lead of your own life and trust that others will witness your faith, your hope, your audacity, and your conviction.
This is your time for healing. You must focus on yourself. You are no good to others if you do not value yourself. Take care of yourself. Heal yourself. Love yourself.
Faith and Hope are your inherent right. And when fear and darkness deceive you from this truth, those of us that share your story will catch you and lift you back to the light.