Not only do the addictions damage our health and limit our lives, they also suppress energy that might otherwise be used for profound political and social change. However, it is part of a cultural climate that encourages addiction as well as denial, and that makes it more difficult for addicts to recover. I started drinking and smoking in a cultural climate that glamorized these drugs through the media. There were also no warning labels and very little accurate information. There is more awareness these days, to be sure, but there is also a great deal more advertising and more overt targeting of young people.
Alcohol is also far more available for young people than it used to be.
If alcohol had been as freely available to me when I was in high school as it is for kids today, I doubt very much that I would have survived. I have tried to create an environment in which she feels safe and comfortable talking with me about anything. I have done my best to teach her media literacy and have encouraged her qualities and talents that have nothing to do with her appearance. I have also done programs for her schools and worked in the wider world to make things better for all girls, including my own. We kick our own addictions and bravely face the emotions that addictions suppress, getting professional help, of course, if that is necessary.