Guidance of the Lost (Edgar Jameson)

At one time in life we are all lost. We all have struggles and need the guidance of a friend. Feeling lost, some may turn to drugs and alcohol, those numbing agents that are known to destroy lives, homes, and families. That momentary feeling of numb that consumes our bodies, souls, and minds that can feel so consuming and warm is just that, momentary. Through guidance and direction we all have a chance. We all have a chance to experience what we, at times, feel is miles out of reach.

Being lost in life is all too common in modern society yet goes unattended to as some, overrun by the disease of addiction, turn to substances such as drugs and alcohol for relief. When this disease takes hold of an individual, choices once controlled by them are then given up to the altered states of their being. The state of alteration tells us "consume more; it will keep all that is bad away from us." Drug and alcohol addiction is not the only addiction in society today. Anything may become an addiction. Many addictions occur because of an engrained genetic or psychological factor.

Some individuals are more susceptible to addiction than others. Those individuals are bombarded with daily doses of advertisements and social influence either from peers or social groups directly or indirectly. The infestation of alcohol and drugs in social media has assisted in the increase of sales for alcohol distributor's yes, but has also adversely affected several individuals seeking a way to get through a tough situation in their lives.

Hundreds of advertisements and social media posts and blogs portraying drugs and alcohol in a positive light can be seen and heard all over media today. Social comments and ad's showing everyone having a good time, laughing, dancing, and not having a care in the world while encouraging the use of drugs and alcohol are consuming social media sites, television ads, radio ads, and print ads. What these ads do not show is the true effects of alcohol on the human being. The cost of lives lost, families torn apart, the damages done to the human body, and all equate to a cost much more than financial.

The financial aspect of alcohol addiction is costly; however, the emotional cost is much more severe. The numbing feeling of alcohol is nothing more than a mask. A mask derived from the roots of a disease based on genetic and psychological markers in an individual. This disease may appear to hide these issues, but it is in fact only amplifying them without the realization of the individual. This mask is like the "mental walls" that men would build to hide their feelings. In the past men did not cry, men did not talk about feelings.

It is time to break that wall. It is time to share our thoughts and feelings with someone. As difficult as it may be to share with someone close, there are ways other than a mask to deal with these thoughts. There are ways of breaking the addictions we hold. The answer is unique to each individual, however; they all start in one place, the admission that there is an issue. This admission may be in silence or aloud, but recovery starts there. There is an answer, there is hope. There are avenues in our world that everyone can take to move forward. Never give in, never give up, and keep moving forward with life, love and hope.

To learn more about addiction or to receive help for fighting an addiction visit www.valleyhope.org for more information.