Break the Stigma.
By: Megan Haag
Tags: Addiction, Love Yourself, Faith, Motherhood, Recovery

Break the Stigma.

This thing that no one seems to want to talk about. The white elephant in the room. The reason so many people miss family holiday’s. The reason for so much disconnect around us. The reason so many young lives are taken way too soon. The reason most people don’t have a work ethic and are lazy. It is the cause for most dark in the world in this day and age. No thank you to a little company called Big-Pharma. This is bigger than any controversy over drug companies, bigger than the people on the street, bigger than the government that plays a hand in putting this in kids and adults hands and mouths all over the world. It’s an epidemic and a one of great capacity.

Now you may think that this thing called an opioid epidemic doesn’t concern or effect you. Maybe you’ve never been prescribed them or watched your child go through withdrawals so bad they feel like dying is a better option. Maybe you’ve never seen someone sell everything they own to pay for their next fix. Maybe you’ve never seen someone sell their body to be able to buy a pill to wash their shame away for a few minutes. If you’re that person, good for you but I can guarantee that it still effects you in some way.

Contrary to popular belief marijuana isn’t some gateway drug they tell you about in school that if you consume it eventually you will move on to harder things such as cocaine or heroin. Alcohol is a drug too did you know that? I bet you didn’t know that shopping, gambling, sex, money, power, food all these things can be considered an addiction also. Do you still thing this doesn’t effect you in some way?

Have you ever seen someone unable to take care of themselves that their children had to be taken by the state? I have multiple times. It’s the most heartbreaking, sad, gut wrenching thing to watch. People try so hard to keep it all together and to live everyday ordinary lives when they don’t even know the battle they are fighting. Unfortunately I learned the hard way if you cannot take care of or love yourself it’s absolutely impossible to take care of someone else. Loving yourself and treating yourself and your body with the utmost respect must come before everything else.

A lot of times the wound that causes the addiction is so deep many can not unearth it. They cannot dig deep enough in their past to find it let alone heal and forgive it. Mine goes back 30 years to a mother that was having fun, didn’t know she was pregnant and was using drugs recreationally. Like most twenty something women that was considered normal, especially in the eighty’s. Is she a bad person, no. Do I wish I had a different life? No. I am extremely grateful for the lessons and blessings that it has brought me because of it.

Sure your story may be a little different or maybe it’s very similar. I am you and you are me. The names may be different, the drugs may be different the relationship may be different. That’s okay. I can almost guarantee you can relate to this in some sort of way. That you know someone that needs to read this and heal their wounds. They need to open up their minds and hearts to the idea of forgiveness and dive deep into their soul and surrender. The power and freedom that comes with this release is greater than any you have experienced. There’s a reason the AA Big Book calls it spiritual awakening. You awaken something inside you greater than you have ever known. You exchange all of the darkness for light and are transformed from the inside out.

This is just a glimpse of my story, my journey and my recovery. It’s been ugly, it’s been hard it’s been difficult. But you know what? With that also come the beautiful, the brave, the strong, the fierce and the healing. I’ve been to the bottom pits of hell more than once. I didn’t have a prince or a knight in shining armor to slay my dragons for me and fight those demons. I will tell you what I did have though, I had a loving father to walk alongside me and to pick me up and carry me when I could no longer walk. He carefully mended all of my broken pieces back together and stitched them with a thin gold thread allowing even more light to shine through. He lit the way for me so I can light the way for you. The one still suffering, the one that wants it so bad but just can’t figure it out, the mom that is about to loose her kids because she can’t stay out of jail. Let me be your friend, your light and your hope when you have none. Let me grab your hand and help you see that you don’t need a hero you but the HER in hero. You are beautiful, you are worthy, you are strong. The plan for your life is greater than you could ever imagine. Your story matters, it could change someone’s life. It could save someone’s children. Be brave, be honest and let God do the rest.

For all my friends near and far, some that I don’t even know or have never met. This is for you. For my friends that have lost the battle to addiction and in turn lost their lives. Your voice matters and could save a life.

XOX

Meg