How Do You Explain an Addiction To Others?

How do you explain to someone, who has never been personally cursed with an addiction, the overwhelming desire for your drug of choice.

The normal person cannot fathom the act of forsaking family, friends, and dignity in order to fulfill the demands of an addiction. My father who has two alcoholic sons (one is yours ;) truly) is one of the smartest and most compassionate people I know, and he still lacks the capacity to understand how his sons were not able just "to quit". In order to explain this absolute demand an addiction makes to my father, I resort to the use of an analogy of a drowning man fighting for air.

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In many ways it is a very apt analogy. They say a drowing person taps into the instictive fight for life and will drag his best friend under the waves in order to get to the lifesaving air above. The same is true for alcoholics and addicts, we will drag our our spouse, children, family, and friends down to the bottom with us because the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY in our lives is our alcohol and drugs. Many times I hear in meetings from people actively using that "I'm still a good husband" or "My children are my world", but I know it is nothing more than a lie they are telling themselves. The addict or alcoholic that is using may still be able to take care of their family or job requirements, but it is only after they have satisfied the demand of their addiction. When times are bad and the choice has to be made between a drug of choice and other issues in life, you will become rich by betting that drugs and alcohol will be picked first.

I will post this story again in the future when we have more users to see if other members have a better way of explaining an addiction to those blessed not to know what it feels like.